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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462035">The Dawnbringers at Delphos Academy (Working Title)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaeWriting/pseuds/KaeWriting'>KaeWriting</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life of the Party D&amp;D (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, I just really love Theun okay, M/M, Mutual Pining, Team as Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:00:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,801</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462035</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaeWriting/pseuds/KaeWriting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Vanden escaped his castle—under siege—with his brother. Running from false accusations of treason, they made their way to Erran. A year later, their relationship strains between lies and unspoken disagreements, and Vanden is begrudgingly starting at Delphos Academy. They're in desperate search of allies to find evidence and apprehend the real culprit behind the siege. He dons a disguise and an alias to attend, and before long, he finds allies, in all of the places he didn't expect them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Renard | Vanden du Argentfort/Cassian Thiarin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Prince and the Pirate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Vanden stayed close to his brother's side, clammy hand tight on his rapier. He scanned the hallway around them. Dark, cold, empty. Mind racing for something, about something.</em>
</p><p></p><div>
  <p>
    <em>Behind him, Theun's shaking fingers fumbled along the stone wall, searching. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Shouting above.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Clanking, clashing of metal.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Nasty howling. Cackling.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>And then a scraping of rock on rock. Vanden glanced back to see the portion of wall rotating. An endless hallway with unlit sconces. ‘Come on. Hurry.’ Theun's voice trembled.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Vanden stepped backwards into the passage, sheathing his rapier, and the wall twisted back, showering them in darkness. They ran, Theun stumbling, leaning desperately on Vanden and clutching at the walls.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>They finally reached stairs, climbing up to somewhere, up to the shrine, but guards were waiting for them.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Surrounded.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>‘Surrender.’</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Vanden parried blows. His blade caught some disgusting hybrid of human and hyena through the mouth. Split its skull. The rush of Theun casting some spell—thunder—and they were scrambling out, into the forest. An arrow caught Vanden through the back, and he shrieked.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>He lay on the ground, staring up at Theun, head pounding.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Everything blurred, world spinning.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>And Vanden awoke in his bed, shocked by the ever-consistent ceiling above him. Wooden, arched, and never the palace. Dim light crept in through red curtains, always closed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It had been nearly a year, but even now, it was as far as his memories ever got.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He swung his legs over the side of the bed and clambered over to his writing desk, littered with papers, but didn't bother to record the dream. He'd had it repeatedly. On and off for months. He gathered the papers together, along with a few quills and ink pots, and lumbered out of his bedroom, smelling breakfast. Theun had made dolmades and was sitting at their small, rickety table, eating.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Tall and red-haired, with significantly fewer freckles than Vanden, but undoubtedly related. He had thin-rimmed glasses, a bit of stubble, and new smile lines. Without the strict diet of the palace, he'd grown pudgy around the edges.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden smiled and greeted him, digging into his bag on the sofa and packing the papers and quills on top, next to other school supplies and clothing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He found himself with little appetite but still walked to the kitchen area and placed a few dolmades onto a plate. He sat down beside Theun and began to eat.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The food was still warm but a bit bland, nothing like what they used to have back at the palace. But Theun was getting better. And he was certainly better than Vanden who, a month ago, had boiled an entire pot of water dry.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Thank you for breakfast,’ said Vanden.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Don't worry about it.’ Theun already wore his work clothes, and he was halfway done eating. The sun wasn't even up yet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘How long have you been awake?’ Vanden asked.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Eh,’ Theun shrugged, looking down at his food, ‘I went to bed pretty early last night.’ He smiled, and the bags under his eyes deepened.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden said nothing, just staring blankly ahead of him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘You'll be great there,’ Theun assured. ‘I know you will.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden looked up. ‘That's not really what I'm worried about.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘You've got those alias questions down.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Not that either,’ he said quickly, sighing. ‘Well, maybe. I don't know. I just.’ He set down his fork, looking away. ‘I'll be away most days, and I won't be able to heal you each night, and I don't know whether I'll actually be able to find us any allies, and—’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Vanden.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden looked at him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘It's gonna be okay, I promise.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The words hung in the air, and Vanden couldn't decide whether they were tension or relief. But he nodded anyway.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘And we've talked about the healing. I'll manage.' Theun pushed up his glasses. 'Besides, it's just temporary. You won't be there more than a year, at the very most. Then, we'll be going up to Shadebourne.’ He offered a smile.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden huffed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘You don't have to go if you don't want to, Van. I'm not gonna make you.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘It's fine.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Vanden.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘If you keep saying my name like that, you're gonna slip up in front of others.’ Vanden stood, his food unfinished, and he left the room.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He brushed his teeth and hair, pulling it into a half-ponytail, before using the restroom and returning to his room to change clothes. He slipped off his trousers and silk shirt and stared at the clothing he was meant to put on.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He wished it was a normal school uniform.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Linen underpants. Trousers. Gambeson. Chainmail. Tunic, purple trim. Shark tooth necklace. Leather sandals. Rapier. Signet ring. Gloves. Bracers. Long, thick cloak. Scarf. Golden mask.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The outfit was heavy and clunky and hot. He would stick out in sweltering Erran, even in winter. Students were allowed to wear only the tunic or the new uniform trousers along with it. Although Erran was half as hot as Mirrortail, he was sweating already.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden knelt at his bedside and prayed to Avandra, thanking her for her shrine and her escape, and the change she had brought, for a reason unbeknownst to Vanden, but surely there. And with the long week ahead of him, he prayed for luck. He prayed then to Bahamut, asking for justice, and thanking him for his and Theun's health and safety. He asked the same for his father and Mattijn.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden breathed deeply, ended the prayer and checked his pocket watch: he should have left five minutes ago.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He stepped out of his room to see Theun cleaning up breakfast. He turned, looking Vanden up and down. ‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘Have you seen my brother? He was <em>just</em> here.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Funny.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Theun smiled, and Vanden stared at his feet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘You're sure you don't want me to take you down there?’ Theun leaned back against the kitchen counter.</p>
  <p>Vanden swung his bag over his shoulder. ‘You'd be late for work.’ Theun easily conceded, and Vanden walked towards him. ‘Let me heal you before I leave.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I'll be fine.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I won't be back for three and a half days.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘You could need the ability later today, and you won't have it.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden stared. ‘It's Induction Day.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Theun sighed. ‘Fine.’ He held out his hands to Vanden who removed his gloves and took Theun's wrists gently.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden concentrated, closing his eyes, and warm, divine magic filled his chest and coursed through his arms, out his fingertips. The feeling settled into steady calmness, and Vanden opened his eyes, pulling his hands away. Theun took a deep breath and grinned. Vanden smiled back weakly.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Theun rubbed at the muscles in his forearms, seeming relieved. ‘Thank you.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Of course.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden sighed, pulling his gloves back on, feeling a bit drained, and he tightened his grip on his school bag. ‘I'll-I'll see you later.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘See you.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden walked towards the door, pushed through it, and creaked down the porch stairs.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Outside, lampposts cast a warm glow over the street, the moon just a sliver, and the sun not yet peeking above the horizon. They were so far on the edge of the city that to their south, there was only forest, the faint tracks of a carriage leading off-road. At such a place, at such an early hour—although he distantly heard someone plucking the strings of a lute—there was no one to be seen. If he couldn't find a cart soon, it would be a long, arduous walk into town.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>So, he walked, and he walked, and the sun woke up, casting a long shadow of Vanden. It looked nothing like him, just some glob of clothing with bare legs sticking out.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He hated it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Townsfolk slowly sauntered out of their houses, and Vanden pulled his hood up. People shouted at each other, and carts began to clatter about the streets. He kept his eyes down. Vanden called a carriage over and paid for the travel.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He sat, his feet hurting, holding his head in his hands, leather gloves growing sticky against his skin. He'd have to get used to that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The city passed and passed, and he was left with far too much time to think.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>His outfit, his alias, was wrong. Ironic, even. A mercenary from Shadebourne. The very people he longed for vengeance on: The Weeping Eye. He'd discovered their name and location months ago in Farrelstadt, but hadn't made any progress finding them since.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Who could have done this? Who would sign such a contract?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Sure, Mirrortail had enemies, every city-state did, but the attackers knew too much about the castle's layout. Who in the palace would do such a thing? And to hire such a merciless crew as The Weeping Eye?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>And for whom were they Weeping?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Those they killed? From what Vanden had heard of their nasty reputation, it was tears of joy.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden's hands clawed into fists around his hair, pulling at his scalp, but frustrated, he broke them away, dropping the thoughts from his mind.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Trying not to cry.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Soon enough, the shape of Delphos Academy arose on the horizon, and Vanden straightened his posture. He spotted other students, wearing their uniforms too, although lacking the cloak, scarf, and mask.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden stepped off the cart, thanking the driver, and stared up at the huge college, even larger and older than the one he'd attended in Farrelstadt years ago.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He strode forward through the gates and tried to avoid eye contact with anyone around him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Today, only the first years would be here for the welcoming ceremony and tour. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He followed the flood of students and professors' directions to a set of double doors leading into a vast room. He showed the student identification paperwork he had received upon being accepted into the school, was given his schedule, and was permitted inside. Decorative columns towered up to an arched ceiling, tall windows casting long rectangles of warm light across the floor. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The room was filled with students—most of them not wearing the optional trousers—jittery and chatting with each other, or asleep and nearly falling off their seats. A group of students in the middle with golden trim on their uniforms were drawing on another sleeping student’s face with quills which seemed to leave no ink. Vanden guessed the markings would show up in a few hours time. Reappearing ink was popular with Mirrortail kids too.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden appeared to be nearly late to the ceremony, only a few students still trickling in. While people wearing official-looking uniforms were trying to keep some order to the room, he slipped through the loudness and chaos—humid and sticky—to the area for Imperatoria. He sat down amongst the others, near the back, and set his bag down beside the chair.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He felt the stares on him and his disguise, and he grew even warmer underneath the cloak.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Suddenly, everyone in the room grew silent, and Vanden looked up to see the school’s Domina standing at a podium. He recognized her from a meeting they had together before school started about Vanden's clothing. She looked mostly hobgoblin but partially human with bright, red skin becoming peach along her arms to the tips of her fingers. Her black hair flowed into a long braid behind her. She wore a long, white tunic and a blue chlamys over it, connected at the shoulder with a large, finely cut brooch, sparkling colorful light against different surfaces of the room.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Welcome, everyone, to Delphos Academy.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She commanded the room with her body language, a skill Vanden had honed since he was eight years old, but he sat here now, huddled, covered up, and out of place, like some scared, little boy. Vanden looked back down, and tried to focus on what the Domina said.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I am your Domina, Lorelei Dougenis, and in three short years, I imagine many of you will be sitting here again, instead for your awaited graduation.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden grimaced to himself.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘But until then, you all must train hard, and learn harder. You will gain assistance from your mentors in your next years here, but perhaps sooner from the fellow classmates sitting around you.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Murmurs filled the room, but Vanden didn't look up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The Domina quieted them without saying a word, and she continued, a smile audible in her voice. ‘Today, you will officially become a part of our Academy, standing for over a thousand years, with over one hundred thousand alumni.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The weight of the numbers fell over him. This was such a prestigious college, and he was here for . . .</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The school knew nothing about Vanden's purposes for being here, nor his real name, nor his title. His expertise in sword fighting and Goblinoid, although out of practice, likely already outweighed many of the other first years.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>At the age of seven, Mattijn had taken him out into the Main Courtyard and sparred with him. Mattijn, of course, had gone easy on him, but years later, Mattijn wasn't letting Vanden win, but more often than not, he did.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Gods, where was Mattijn?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He would have returned home from his voyage to Arakhis about a week after the siege. Missing from the event, Vanden didn't doubt that Mattijn would have been blamed for the siege, <em>if</em> Theun and Vanden hadn't fled. So then, it meant Mattijn was acting as prince regent or—Vanden winced for his father—as king, and he was looking for them. Likely not in the good way.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Mattijn had always been a realist.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden and Theun needed a way to prove their innocence to him. He would never have been swayed by pleading.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Most mercenary companies carry copies of every contract they carry out, with the name signed at the bottom. It's all they'd need. But it was well-guarded and so far away.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden had been pushing to hurry up and get going. They'd find allies along the way, but Theun had insisted.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Everyone around him stood up, shaking Vanden from his stupor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He hadn't been listening for at least several minutes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The Domina was gone, and students were walking away in hordes of Houses. Vanden quickly stood, grabbing his bag, and joined them. They flooded out of the western doors and outside, seeming to be following someone, but Vanden was far in the back and couldn't see who it was. Probably an Imperatoria prefect.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden created a mental map of the school grounds as they were shown the training centers, the courtyard full of tables to eat at, and a number of other places, like the office of Etsabes (from whom the students would be receiving contracts), occasionally catching glimpses of the other Houses. They walked with the House of Medeis for a short while, on the way to the library, with its prefect—an elven girl with purple hair.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden glanced back at them, and a boy caught his eye. An elf, dark-skinned with golden amber eyes matching lavish henna designs wrapping all the way up his arms. The blue trim of his tunic complemented the gaudy, sea blue bag he carried and the shell-encrusted driftwood sticking out from one of the pockets, and although short, he held himself in a way which made him tower over everyone around him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The arrogance.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden looked away as the Medeis students separated, and he continued with the rest of his own House into the library.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Widely accepted, the best library in the entire Western Marshes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>With shelves stacked up to the high-arches and towers, like some magnificent cathedral, books teemed out of every corner: records and research, new and old and ancient. Another reason why he had wanted to attend Delphos Academy.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It had to have information about the Weeping Eye.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They were toured around the library, shown how to check-in and -out books, and given their Delphos library cards. Then for a few minutes, they were allowed to look around themselves.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The students dispersed. Many sat at tables and socialized, and some flooded to the massive history section, with books of politics and wars. As much as Vanden would have loved to check it out, the history would still be there for him to come back to, and he hurried to the section labelled Current Affairs.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He was pleased to find that he was alone here.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden scanned through the shelves, packed with books—pristine and colorful, many with unbent bindings, as if fresh off the printing press.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>Recent Natural Disasters and Their Effects on the Peoples, The Piracy of Briny Run, </em>a title written in Elvish,<em> Sir Laurel of the Southern Steps: A Biography, The Royal Families of Caldera: Fifth Edition—</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden paused.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He pulled out the book. It was probably about a year old, and by far, the oldest one on the shelf. And quite thin. There were few monarchies anymore.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He began to flick to the table of contents, but then he spotted a dog-eared page, about halfway through the book. He narrowed his eyes and flipped to it. The start of a chapter. ‘The Du Argentforts of Mirrortail.’;</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden drew in a breath. Someone had dog-eared the page to be able to flip to it for easy, repeated access.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Who would have?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Could there have been a school project last year about his family? Or was someone interested for another reason? There was no way the siege was already detailed in the book, right?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Hey!’ the Imperatoria prefect called. ‘You all need to be finishing up and checking out so I can show all of you your dormitories!’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>With no time to look, Vanden tucked the book under his arm, and continued searching.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>The Lake Lords of The Shaiste, An Era of Peace and The Conflict Within Our Societies, A Complete List of the Mercenary Companies of Caldera</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden grabbed it and sped off towards the librarian's counter. He waited in line behind some students, but it didn't take long, and he checked the books out. The librarian eyed his mask cautiously.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He waited for the other students to finish up, but didn't dare start to read his books. He didn't want to draw attention to the two he had picked. He shoved them into his bag.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>To Vanden's relief, they were eventually brought to the Imperatoria dormitories.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was a large building, identical in style to the other Houses’, but the Anterus one was much larger. Arches swooped across each of its stories, built in sturdy brick, old but restored within the last century or two. Windows were set into each dorm, like cookie-cutters across the walls, curtains drawn over some, and they followed the prefect inside, through the large front doors. They met the Head Students of their house inside and were given a short tour of the common area, and then, finally, their keys.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden was given Room CCXXIB. Vanden opened the door with his key. He stepped inside the room—small and unadorned—which he promptly entered and locked. He leaned over his new writing desk to close the curtains over the window, the room growing dim, and set his bag on the floor. He pulled off his mask, scarf, and sweaty cloak and dumped them onto his bedside table. Unhooking his rapier frog from his belt, he laid his sword on top of the heap. And exhausted, he collapsed onto the bed.</p>
  <p>After a few minutes of cooling off, mentally and physically, he reluctantly got up, knowing he needed to be productive, but dreading unpacking, he instead pulled out the books from the top of his bag. He looked between them and decided to glance through the mercenary company book first. He tossed the other aside. He fluffed up his flat pillow and leaned it against the headboard, vertically, and sat against it, covered with blankets.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He cracked open the book with a satisfying crunch of the binding. He turned to the table of contents and smiled, finding just the chapter he needed: The Companies of Shadebourne. He flipped to it and scanned over the headings. Ursa Volantis, The Silver Host, Maglubiyet's Companies, and then The Weeping Eye.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden beamed then began to read.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘The Weeping Eye is a ruthless company, easily identifiable by the large number of gnolls within their ranks—monsters of human and hyena. Its headquarters is located in the first Tier of the city, in the slums; however, they often travel far to carry out contracts.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘The company is well-known to take especially gruesome contracts, often involved in the corrupt side of politics, to the point that contracts are sometimes taken out against them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Their leader is believed to currently be a white-furred gnoll named Khanym.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden reread it. And rereread it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He grabbed a blank piece of parchment from the crumpled stack in the top of his bag, placed it onto the desk, and opened a new ink pot. He dipped a quill in and recorded the paragraphs word-for-word into his notes, not bothering to sit down in the chair.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden made a mental note to write to Theun later.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden put away the paper then went back to his bed, and he grabbed the book on the royal families. He flipped again to the dog-eared page and looked through the Mirrortail chapter for any mention of the attack last year, but Vanden noticed something else first.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Someone had written in the book.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Under the section: Current Members.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>His father, Gerrit. The paragraph spoke of his great work within the city and that he owns the East Caldera Company (ECC), the largest trade company on the eastern side of the continent. But next to his name was written the word, ‘Asshat.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Then his mother, Petra. A wonderful woman who often donates to the Temple to Bahamut in town and and funded a prestigious library to be built in Arakhis. ‘Bitch.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Theun, the crown prince. Rarely seen in his youth, but more recently, he has worked on updating the infrastructure on the eastern side of the city and integrating arcane improvements into the ships of the ECC to boost revenue. ‘Cripple.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Mattijn, a regent prince. Remarkable sword fighting and strategy abilities. Visits other city-state leaders regarding peace-keeping and trade. Often seen in parades or speeches and loves to confer with the people of Mirrortail. There was nothing written next to his paragraph.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden, a regent prince. Significantly younger than the other two princes. When seen, usually on horseback, on ECC business or doing philanthropic deeds. ‘Scapegoat.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden's breathing stumbled, and his eyes flicked back and forth between the words written beside his and Theun's names, unsure which one bothered him more.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Scapegoat. What did that mean?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>This person knew something. Theun's physical disability wasn't mentioned anywhere, and the people of Mirrortail didn't know either.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Scapegoat. It had to be about the siege. Vanden was the scapegoat?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He fumed, shaking.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The boy with no memories to defend himself.</p>
  <p>He checked the other chapters for writing, but he couldn't find any. Only this one. And he didn't recognize the handwriting.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden rushed to record the information in his notes, pausing before writing the word which had been next to Theun's name. He couldn't bring himself to write it at all, instead writing a description of the word.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden poured through his notes, figuring out calendars for how the information could have spread to Erran so quickly. To Delphos Academy. Someone had to have done this before this school year, but while attending the Academy. But the siege had happened <em>during</em> last school year. And there wasn't nearly enough time to journey from Erran to Mirrortail and back during holiday. And what if the student who had written it had graduated or dropped out? He might never find them then. Though he was sure he'd be able to find some record of all of those students, and all of the ones currently in attendance. But he'd have to find some way to narrow the selection down.</p>
  <p>Vanden absent-mindedly scratched at his back, feeling strange, bristly lumps. He investigated further, but unable to see them, and he pulled one out.</p>
  <p>A feather. Soft, small, and white, fading copper at the tips. A little bit of blood on the end where it had been embedded into his skin.</p>
  <p>What?</p>
  <p>He felt for more and pulled each of them out. Where the hell could those have come from? Pulling out as many as he could reach, he tossed the handfuls into the small rubbish bin by his desk.</p>
  <p>His mind lingered and lingered on the thought, racing through possibilities, none of them logical. But Vanden was shaken from his thoughts by the panging hunger of his empty stomach. He sucked in a breath and stood to wipe the blood from his fingers onto his discarded cloak. He looked at his schedule to see that his lunch period started in five minutes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He grabbed his bag, tied his rapier back on, and donned his disguise again, uncomfortable against the raw, bleeding spots on his back, before heading down to the courtyard. According to the school's handbook, the second and third years with decent grades were allowed to leave the grounds and eat at restaurants within Erran, but the first years were stuck here.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden went inside, through a series of buffet tables, full of steaming food, and collected a hearty meal for himself.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He hadn't eaten much breakfast.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He stepped outside to find all of the tables in the shade taken by rowdy students, whom he very much did not want to sit next to. He sat instead at an empty table in full sunlight, and began to eat—alone.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>At least the food was good. Lamb souvlaki with buttered bread, dried dates, and orange slices. It reminded him of the summers his family spent here.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Used to spend here. It seemed like so long ago.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Would you mind if we sat here with ya?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden looked up at the friendly voice to see an incredibly tall boy with curly, black hair, half-elven ears, and a bright smile. He held his lunch, full of vegetables, and he stood next to a much shorter girl, an elf, with long wisps of white hair and silver eyes, reflecting back the gold of Vanden's mask. She stood timidly, wearing the optional trousers, a wide but simple choker, and stitched, fabric bracers. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden didn't understand how those could be effective in any way.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They both wore uniforms with green trim which was Domus Anterus? Vanden guessed. The helpful-ly magic house? The taller boy seemed the type.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden glanced around to see that every other table was occupied. ‘Yeah, I guess.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The two of them sat across from Vanden and started to eat. The tall boy started conversation. ‘I'm Boblem. What's your name?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Renard.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Nice to meet ya. This is Sariel.’ He gestured to the quiet girl.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Mm.’ Vanden ate a piece of lamb from its skewer.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘We're first years from Anterus,’ said Boblem. ‘Are you a first year?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden swallowed. ‘Yes?’ he answered confusedly. ‘Only first years are here today. Besides the prefects, I suppose, but . . .’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘We'll be seeing each other in classes then. That'll be nice.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Yeah,’ Vanden tried not to sound disappointed, ‘I guess we will be.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘You seem pretty smart.’ Boblem smiled at him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Uh, thanks?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘You're welcome!’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden breathed deeply, running a hand through his hair, and he took a large bite of his bread.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>With no royal etiquette needed, he rested his elbow on the table. In fact, it might be strange for a mercenary to eat with such proper manners. ‘Where are you from, Boblem?’ Vanden asked with his mouth full.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Uh,’ Boblem paused, contorting his face, ‘my farm?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden slowly nodded. ‘Your farm.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Sariel finally piped up, her voice soft and high-pitched, ‘It moves.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I'm sorry,’ Vanden said. ‘It <em>what?</em>’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I like your mask,’ came a feminine voice from behind him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden turned.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was the elven girl with purple hair—the Medeis prefect he had seen earlier. She was a young adult with pale skin, dark brown eyes, and a wide jaw. Her fingernails were painted, matching her hair, and poking out the top of her uniform was a chain shirt: not the standard issue Delphos armour. She smiled at him, tongue between her teeth.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Thanks.’ Vanden considered the comment and the fact that she had approached him from behind, not being able to see the mask. She must have had previously taken note of him and noticed it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Are you allergic to the sun?’ she asked. ‘Oh, wait,’ she glanced under the table. ‘Just your <em>top half</em> is allergic.’ She laughed, and others joined her. They approached behind her in support.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Most of them much younger than her. Teenagers, Virtus and Medeis, but there was an older Callidus student with a prefect badge as well.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden nodded. ‘How witty.’ He turned around to continue eating.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Well, that's not a very nice thing to say,’ said Boblem to the girl.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Yeah, I think she knows that,’ Vanden whispered forcefully.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She raised her voice. ‘Nice friends you got there.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden finished his last skewer of souvlaki, not turning around and dignifying her taunts. ‘They're not my friends.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Boblem looked hurt, but Vanden ignored him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Ah, right. You wouldn't have those.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden stood, having finished his lunch, and he eyed the cronies behind her. ‘Well, maybe we can talk about our shared problem over coffee sometime.’ He pivoted away, practically hearing the steam burst from her ears, and went back inside, dumping his rubbish into a bin.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He took a long detour back to the Imperatoria dormitories, which avoided the courtyard, and he only got lost once.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Along the way, passing through a lively garden, Vanden stumbled across the Delphos Academy bathhouse. He was overheated and sweating and already walking towards it, but he found the huge pool of steaming water filled with at least thirty students.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden's aching feet sighed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>According to the sign, the bath was open all day until curfew except for Day 4 and 12 for cleaning.</p>
  <p>He'd come back tonight.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden eventually found his way back up to his dorm room, and he shed his disguise once more. He laid down on his bed, uncovered, for a few minutes, trying to cool off, but it was rather useless. He resigned himself to the heat and dug in his bag for some comfortable trousers.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Instead, he found a book.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He hadn't seen it earlier underneath the parchment he'd shoved in this morning. But there it was. Tucked into his bag.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He pulled it out: <em>The Pirate of Everfeld Castle.</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>He hadn't read the book in years, but memories he didn't know he had bloomed in his mind. He still remembered the premise.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The crown prince of the fictional city-state Everfeld was captured by a pirate crew and held for ransom, before discovering the pirates weren't actually greedy, but gave their stealings back to the city, redistributing the wealth. The prince was absolutely infatuated by the handsome pirate quartermaster of the ship, and although Vanden couldn't remember the details, together, they formed an unlikely and forbidden romance and defeated the real threat to the city—capitalism.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden stared at it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The copy was new, not first edition like the one at the palace. Not that Vanden ever really cared about such petty materialistic things.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He opened the book to see a note and immediately recognized Theun's handwriting.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Renard,</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Found this last week at the bookshop. I know how much you used to like it, and I thought it would remind you of home.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Have a great time at Delphos,</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Corbeau</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden melted, knees dropping him onto the bed, and he cuddled back against his pillow. He turned to the first page and began reading, losing himself to the sea shanties, the stolen kisses, and the innuendo about sword fighting he didn't pick up on when he was ten.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>About halfway through, the sun set, and Vanden was awoken from his trance, staring out at the dawning twilight.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Somehow, he didn't seem to mind the lost time.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He leaned over and touched his sheathed rapier, and its entire surface burst with bright light, illuminating the room. He continued to read, leaning forward as the climactic battle ensued. Too soon, came the last page, and he read the last sentence. He smiled at it, and closed the book with a final, wishful exhale.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He sighed, nostalgia coursing through him. He stood from his bed shakily, parts of his body numb, and checked the time.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>9:17.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Huh.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden grabbed his rapier, its sheath still illuminated, and brought it closer to his writing desk. He began a letter to Theun.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Beau,</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>I've found some information in the library already about that mercenary company and potentially, their leader. It's not much, but it's something.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>But he paused, unable to decide exactly how much he wanted to share. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He and Theun had already established that they wouldn't be communicating too much information through letters in case something got intercepted. They weren't sure how secure Erran's post system was.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Theun surely needed to know the Weeping Eye information, and Vanden felt he should probably tell him about the writing he found in the royal book too.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em>There's something else I've found as well in the library. Rather concerning, I think. I'll elaborate face to face.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Though classes haven't yet started, my time here is going well, but students are already amusing themselves over my clothing choices.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Thank you for the book. It was very thoughtful of you—as usual. I definitely did not read it all in one sitting as soon as I found it. I have never done that in my whole life. I don't know what you're talking about, and my ass is not numb, thank you very much.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>It did remind me of home, probably too much so, but the happy ending it described was too perfect for me to even wish for. Our lives were never perfect. Personally, I don't remember ever escaping off with my long-lost love on restless, reckless nights just to sneak back into my room when morning came, but maybe I'm the weird one. Who knows?</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>If only all stories were like that,</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Renard</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden read over the letter again and sealed the scroll, placing it into his bag. He stood, thinking it was probably late enough for the bathhouse to be empty, and he put on his disguise again. He latched his rapier back to his belt, turning off the light, and swung his bag around his shoulder.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden left the room, locking it behind him, and he strolled through the mostly empty, darkened Delphos grounds.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He stopped by the main office to deliver the letter, then retraced his steps to the bathhouse he had found earlier. He couldn't stay too late, since all students needed to be in their dorms by 10 PM.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>To his luck, the bath was empty, and he doubted that anyone else would be coming in so late.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden shed his clothing, careful to not pull off his signet ring while removing his gloves, and set out new clothes to put on afterwards. He left his mask nearby and settled into the warm water, rubbing soothing soaps and salts over his body, washing off the day's grime.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The soap stung at the wounds on his back, and his mind wandered.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>There had to be some reasonable explanation for the feathers. Maybe from his mattress, back at the house? Vanden leaned his head back against the tile edge of the bath and sighed, staring up at the ceiling. He'd ask Theun later.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Good evening.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden pounced for his mask and tied it on before whipping around to see the haughty Medeis boy he had seen earlier.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The boy raised an eyebrow but dismissed him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Evening,’ Vanden greeted.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The boy slipped off his tunic, and Vanden looked away, checking to be sure his ring hadn't fallen off—it hadn't. Vanden reached over to his pile of dirty clothes and fumbled for his pocket watch. He clicked it open. 9:41. ‘It's getting pretty late,’ Vanden said. ‘Why are you getting a bath now?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I could ask the same of you.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The boy's accent was incredibly thick and harsh, and Vanden wanted to listen to it all day.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>No, he didn't. No, he didn't.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I suppose,’ Vanden mumbled. He glanced back over to the boy. He floated on top of the water, as if he was an extension of it, and this is where he was meant to be: face up, arms outstretched, eyes closed. Peaceful. Vanden swallowed, trying not to watch. ‘What's your name?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Cassian.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden nodded. ‘I'm Renard.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘I didn't ask.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden cleared his throat. ‘Right.’ He was overly aware of his naked body, and now he wished he was wearing his entire disguise. He didn't want this boy—<em>Cassian</em>—to see him. Short and pale and splotched with too many freckles.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Gods, he was handsome.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>No, he wasn't. No, he wasn't.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden pulled himself out of the water, and walked towards the rack of plush towels, leaving a dripping trail of bath water.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Would you like me to dry you?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden wrapped a towel around himself and turned around. ‘Excuse me?’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The boy was looking over at him, still laying on top of the water. ‘I have a spell.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden's body tensed. ‘No, no, no, I'm fine.’ His face grew warm, and he turned around again to dry off. The normal way, with a towel.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>‘Suit yourself.’</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden did, dressing in silk pyjamas. He took off his mask only to dry his face, and then immediately replaced it, putting on his scarf as well. He clasped on his cloak and slipped on his sandals.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He left the towel in the laundry bin, and he left, resisting temptation to look at Cassian again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He was sure he'd see him in class tomorrow anyway.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vanden sighed, getting back to his room just past 10. He finally unpacked his bag, leaving in it only the things he would need for school tomorrow. He hesitated on the book Theun had given him and decided to keep that in his bag as well. He finished and sat down on his bed again. He lay down, moving his wet hair to the side, and fell asleep quickly into unwanted dreams.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. You Can't Spell 'Allies' Without 'Lies'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Vanden opened his eyes. He was covered in old sweat, hard ground beneath him, patched with grass. In a forest. He had awoken shirtless but covered up with a warm blanket. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Memories were missing. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Invaders in the castle. Cackling. An escape. A sharp pain in his gut. And then nothing. He woke up. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He peeked down at his stomach, but there was no wound, and it didn't hurt. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> If the attack was a dream, how was Vanden here? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Vanden looked up, rubbing at his eyes, adjusting to the light of a lantern, and saw Theun sitting in front of him, against a tree, astronomy instruments and charts spread around him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> 'Wha-What happened?' </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Theun vaguely explained, looking down at his hands, fidgeting in his lap. There were attackers in the castle, and he and Vanden were chased out. He'd turned them both invisible, and they'd escaped into the forest. He gave Vanden a potion and stayed up to chart their location in the forests southeast of Mirrortail. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He stated this over and over, rewinding and rewording sentences, and Vanden's dream was sent into a loop. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Vanden awoke in his dormitory.</p><p>He'd been so tired that he couldn't remember what Theun had actually said, but it didn't matter. He'd never seen Theun turn both them invisible, even when they'd been chased out of town by those lizardfolk guards in the Sivrei.</p><p>And Theun always looked down when he lied.</p><p>Vanden didn't remember much from the night of the siege, and Theun had taken advantage of it, filling it with half-truths, if not full lies. People had done it before.</p><p>Vanden hadn't told Theun that he knew any of this.</p><p>And thinking about it, there were some bits of yesterday he didn't remember either. Right after leaving the library, when he must have read his books, and before Cassian entered the bathhouse.</p><p>He sighed, wishing he'd forgotten everything <em> after </em> Cassian entered the bathhouse and knowing he'd have to reread through the books.</p><p>Unless he took notes?</p><p>Vanden stood and sat at his desk. He shuffled through the papers, reading the Weeping Eye description, and he found another. 'What in the hells?'</p><p>Asshat, bitch, scapegoat, and what must have been 'Cripple.'</p><p>Vanden checked the book on royals to see that his past self hadn't been playing some prank. He hadn't.</p><p>Someone here knew about the siege.</p><p>Conflicted, he pushed it from his mind and stood, getting ready for the day.</p><p>Having forgotten to eat dinner last night, he was starving. He had plenty of time, so he dug out two rations from the bottom of his bag and ate the dried meats, cured in salt.</p><p>Afterwards, he vaguely unpacked his school bag and pulled on his disguise. He headed down to his only class that day and was the first to arrive, out of at least fifty. He sat towards the back and waited, pulling out his scrolls and quills for taking notes as other Imperatoria students slowly filed in.</p><p>No one bothered him.</p><p>A magical bell sounded, marking the start of class, and on cue, the teacher slammed open the door and barged into the classroom. He was a very short, human man with medium-dark skin, greying hair and thin, monolid eyes. His face was well-wrinkled with smiles, like a lovable grandfather.</p><p>He was the last person Vanden expected to barge into a room as a master of strategy.</p><p>The entire class had gone quiet, immediately attentive, and they stared at him as he calmly set down his bags beside his desk and straightened up to face the class. He stared at them, for just a second, in intimidation, observation, or for the drama of it all.</p><p>'You're leading a troop of Errani soldiers through the marshy hills. They're exhausted and starving. You're about to make camp for the night, but a couple of hobgoblin scouts run back to you and tell you that the opposing Vishiman army has approached you, shielded by hills so they can't be seen. You're surrounded on the north, south, and east sides. On the west, there is a river which your entire army wouldn't be able to cross in time to escape. You know your troops are unfit for an ambush. What do you do?'</p><p>The room was rather quiet, students unsure.</p><p>'You can ask for more information if you'd like,' he added, 'if it was something you could easily ascertain in this scenario.'</p><p>Students slowly began to raise their hands, asking questions.</p><p>'Are we at the bottom or top of a hill?'</p><p>'Bottom,' the instructor replied, and he called on someone else.</p><p>'What's the weather like?'</p><p>'Clear but cold. It's night.'</p><p>He called on another. 'How many spellcasters does this troop have?'</p><p>'An average amount.'</p><p>'Could we set a fire to chase out the other army, but we run into the river and protect ourselves?'</p><p>'You're setting fire to the field?'</p><p>'Uh, well, when you say it like that... Maybe not.'</p><p>'Anyone else?' the teacher asked.</p><p>'Do I have a second-in-command I can ask for advice?' asked a student jokingly, and others around him giggled.</p><p>'Shot and killed in a ditch yesterday.'</p><p>The room tensed. It seemed to be the reaction the teacher wanted.</p><p>Did these students not understand that asking the right questions was the key to getting this correct? Joking around wasn't helping them. Vanden sighed. As the students around him continued, their questions grew irrelevant. It had to be a trick question in some way. The answer was one they weren't even thinking about.</p><p>The army was Vishiman. Was that an important detail? Erran had had conflict on-and-off for centuries with Vishima. The island had made recent strides in technology, and on a small island, they were rather overpopulated, majority human.</p><p>He realized something and raised his hand.</p><p>The teacher called on him, and to clarify, Vanden asked, 'What races are the other army?'</p><p>'Human mostly.'</p><p>'I'll take the scouts captive. They're lying.'</p><p>The teacher cocked his head and smiled. 'Why do you say that?'</p><p>'A mostly human army wouldn't attack a mostly hobgoblin army at night. They wouldn't be able to see as well.'</p><p>The teacher slowly nodded. 'Very good.'</p><p>Other students in the classroom turned around to stare at Vanden, and he shrunk in his chair. </p><p>'What would you do afterwards?' the teacher asked, leaning back against his desk.</p><p>'I'd,' he paused, 'send a few of my trusted soldiers to scout, just to be sure of what's actually happening, while we head north with our guards raised.'</p><p>'What does your intuition tell you is happening?'</p><p>'Well, the other army probably sent out those two hobgoblins to kill the actual scouts I sent, put on their armour, and come back, assuming I wouldn't notice. They would cause chaos over here, warning of an ambush, and while we scrambled to figure out a way to survive, they would steal supplies or information from us and escape back into the night before we even realize that we're not under attack.'</p><p>'What's your name, son?'</p><p>'Renard de la Mer.'</p><p>'Are you from Erran?'</p><p>'Shadebourne.'</p><p>The instructor nodded. 'That's a shame. You'd make a great officer in our ranks.'</p><p>'Thank you, sir.' Vanden smiled but quickly looked away.</p><p>He shouldn't have opened his mouth. Now he'd drawn attention to himself.</p><p>'I wasn't expecting anyone to actually get that correct,' the teacher admitted, and Vanden felt worse. 'But when you're a strategist, you have to step back and see the whole picture. There are usually more options than there first appear. Mister de la Mer has grasped that already, and I applaud him. It's a skill we'll be working on as a class throughout your time at Delphos.</p><p>'My name is Professor Saeki.' He smiled, lifting himself up to sit on top of his desk casually. 'I used to serve in the Errani army, as a general, but I’ve gotten a bit too old for it now, and I’ve turned to teaching the next generation. You all have wonderful potential, I can see that already, and I hope to see you all grow into incredible soldiers—and leaders.' He glanced at a notebook which sat on the desk, already flipped to an open page. 'Now, enough talk. In a moment, I'll need you to come up here and check out your textbooks. You'll be reading the section starting on page 44, and you will examine the methods General Mizlin of Shadebourne used during The War of the Three Crowns. I want a report, summarizing them and analysing what you think she did well and what she didn’t. Turned in by the beginning of next class. That’s two days from now,' he raised his eyebrows, 'so I’d suggest you’d get started.'</p><p>There was a collective sigh throughout the room. </p><p>Professor Saeki smiled and slid off his desk, walking around to sit in the chair, and as everyone received their textbooks, he took attendance.</p><p>He had barely taught anything but had assigned this. Vanden guessed it was a pre-test and not a real assignment, but either way, he would be putting significant effort into it.</p><p>Theun had told him that his grades didn't really matter, but Vanden did not care.</p><p>He pulled out his textbook, despite being already familiar with General Mizlin's tactics. He read the section, taking notes sparingly.</p><p>In one of the battles described, General Mizlin had trapped an injured group of her own soldiers in a large, secluded cave to starve with plenty of gold, luring Elenithil soldiers into the area before she collapsed the cave entrance and ambushed them with a rested, well-fed set of troops, which had been hiding below in the Underdark.</p><p>She wasn’t exactly Vanden’s role model.</p><p>Vanden organised his thoughts, planning out his report, remarking on her battle strategy, but criticising her morality. He only got a few inches down his scroll before the magical bell sounded.</p><p>He had a free afternoon for the rest of the day.</p><p>Vanden returned to his dormitory, where he changed cloaks. He then left the school grounds and bought some food to keep in his room. Meats and fruits and a couple of small cakes. Upon returning, he made himself a simple meal.</p><p>After he finished, he put on his disguise again, and he walked to the library. He put the mercenary company book he had checked out yesterday through the slot in the counter but kept the other. He walked towards the section about Delphos Academy itself, wanting to find information about suspects who could have written the notes in the royal book. He doubted the school kept much information about the attending students out in the open, but it was a good idea to look in plain sight first.</p><p>A muscled, Medeis girl with dark skin and an Ospeian headscarf was in the section, looking at a detailed map of the school laid out over a desk. Several books were spread out over the floor around her, in piles or laying open, but when Vanden came in, she made quick eye contact and hastily kicked one of the open ones closed.</p><p>She returned to her business and ignored him. Vanden glanced at the book, reading its title, upside down: <em> A Catalog of the Delphos Academy Arcane Artefacts Display. </em></p><p>Vanden pondered it for a moment, but he shook it from his mind and didn't bother her.</p><p>He discreetly searched through the shelves for student records. He found a large plaque with the names of the Head Students of each House from the last fifty years.</p><p>Unhelpful.</p><p>He bent down to look at the lower shelves and found a scroll which listed the names of all current students at the academy—or in Renard de la Mer's case, their alias—but it was alphabetical, not sorted by grade level.</p><p>Also unhelpful.</p><p>He glanced back up at the Medeis girl. She was sketching in a ratty, old book she carried, looking at the map for reference.</p><p>She seemed to have already explored the section quite extensively. She could know something. And, Vanden dreadfully remembered, to make useful allies while here, he would actually have to talk to people.</p><p>'Hey.' Vanden cleared his throat. He glanced over just quickly to see the girl staring down at him, an eyebrow raised. He looked away. 'Uh, do you know where I could find information about,' he shrugged, 'students attending here?'</p><p>'Like,' she paused, 'particular students?'</p><p>'Not,' he sighed, 'anyone in particular, no. Well, kind of. But just information about different people. Like Houses, grade levels, where they're from.'</p><p>'Why?' she asked cautiously.</p><p>He looked up at her. Her head was cocked in interest, and her brows were lowered skeptically. 'I'm looking for someone,' he said, standing, 'but I don't know . . . who they are.'</p><p>She nodded, biting at the inside of her cheek.</p><p>'You've clearly looked around this area.' He gestured around to the organised mess she had made. 'I thought you might know.'</p><p>'You're not gonna find that kind of stuff here, stalker boy.'</p><p>'I'm not—' Vanden cut himself off, sighing. 'Never mind.' He turned to walk away.</p><p>'No, no, no, wait,' the girl said.</p><p>Vanden pivoted around again, a bit annoyed.</p><p>'I was joking.' She smiled. 'If you really want the information, I suggest looking in the archives.' She pointed on the map of Delphos to a small room in a large building. 'Off limits though, so weigh your chances.' She eyed his disguise.</p><p>'Okay.' He nodded. 'Um, thank you.'</p><p>She thought for a moment, staring again at the map, at the same building. 'Do you want help with it?'</p><p>Vanden paused. 'What are you proposing?'</p><p>'There's something I want too, in that building. It would be a lot easier with another person. We could work together.'</p><p>Vanden considered it.</p><p>'Neither of us ask questions, we get the job done, part ways, and we keep our mouths shut.'</p><p>She seemed sincere. Desperate. 'Okay,' he agreed.</p><p>'As soon as I'm done, I'm leaving Delphos, so I don't want to draw attention to myself or speak to too many people.'</p><p>Vanden nodded slowly.</p><p>'Once I disappear, I imagine you’ll be questioned if you’re seen talking to me, but if there’s a reason for it, then you have an excuse to know nothing about me or why I left. Like, a partner project in class.'</p><p>'A contract?' Vanden suggested.</p><p>'Yeah, that's perfect! I'll sign up for one this week which is only for two people, so we can discuss alone. Keep a lookout on the different contracts for my name, Aisha Zavinne.'</p><p>Vanden nodded. 'Okay.' He turned away from Aisha, leaving her to her array of books. He left the library and returned to his dorm. He sat down on his bed, feeling uneasy about what had happened and rather concerned about helping someone who might be an actual criminal.</p><p>But it was mutual: Aisha probably thought Vanden was a criminal too. And since he wasn't, maybe she wasn't either.</p><p>Gods, he was being far too optimistic.</p><p>Vanden sighed and sat down at his desk, writing more of the report for Strategy. He got roughly half of it done as the sun set, and Vanden packed up what he had written.</p><p>An hour left before curfew, he walked again to the bathhouse, beside the garden. He bathed quickly, hoping to avoid another interaction with Cassian or any other student, and he managed to do so. He returned to his room and almost immediately fell asleep, with only his repeated dream of the escape from the siege.</p><p>Upon waking and dressing, he found himself walking all the way across the school to Rudimentary Magic, easily hiding his grimace.</p><p>Magic was disgusting.</p><p>It felt wrong. Unnatural. It pulled at his body, warping it and his mind, twisting and crackling evilly.</p><p>Power leads to corruption.</p><p>At least he wouldn't have to learn it. He would just be learning <em> about it. </em></p><p>Vanden looked for a place to sit and found Cassian, Aisha, Boblem, and Sariel easily around the room. All of whom knew magic.</p><p>Vanden knew he couldn't sit alone or he might fail the class, but the seats beside Boblem and Sariel were full. And Aisha had said she didn't want contact with him in case he were questioned.</p><p>Godsdammit.</p><p>Vanden didn't make eye contact with Cassian as he sat down, avoiding seeing his reaction.</p><p>He had offered to dry Vanden with magic the other day, so perhaps he wasn't as rude as he had first seemed. Vanden hoped.</p><p>Professor Cirillo was an elven woman with veins, huge and darkened, trailing up her wrinkled, sagging arms, over her pursed lips, and up to her round, deep eyes. Reading glasses hung around her neck, and she stooped heavily.</p><p>She didn't explain the veins.</p><p>After checking out their textbooks and their chosen seating chart was recorded, this class jumped into the deep end.</p><p>She ran through the eight schools of magic, as if they should be review. He scratched the names and brief descriptions into his notes, but she spoke so quickly that he missed the last two.</p><p>This was going to be a long year.</p><p>Four feet of notes later, she finished wrapping up whatever the hell a cantrip was, and she told the students to read a section from their textbooks. They did, and afterwards, she allowed them to work in pairs, answering questions about the reading. She wanted the assignment turned in by the end of the period.</p><p>Vanden swallowed. Glancing around, his face grew warm.</p><p>He didn't want to look at Cassian. </p><p>Maybe he <em> could </em> just work alone. It had kind of made sense. Vanden had always been better at learning from reading.</p><p>But gods, his hair was wind-swept as if he had just woken up. His fingers hung lazily over the edge of his desk with blue-painted nails, matching the trim of his uniform and complimenting his warm brown skin, intricate henna circling and flowing up his hands. His legs, outstretched, strong but delicate and slender, were shaven perfectly smooth. </p><p>He had never been attracted to a man like him before. Before, it was warriors and sailors—rugged and dashing, with winks and mustaches.</p><p>So, what the fuck was this?</p><p>Vanden peeled his eyes away and got out a short scroll to write his answers on.</p><p>He read number one. 'What were the three inspirations for Estrella Andolphus's discovery of abjuration?'</p><p>It was one of the schools of magic he had missed. He had written the word down in the space he had left in his notes but had no idea what it meant. As for the name, her discovery was described in a short paragraph, which briefly mentioned her grandfather, a second-century astronomer. He was probably one of her inspirations. As for the other two, he had no idea, and the later questions were no easier.</p><p>Fuck.</p><p>'Renard?'</p><p>Oh, it sounded so good in his accent.</p><p>No, it didn't. It wasn't even his real name!</p><p>'Cassian.'</p><p>'The answer to number one is "Saulei's discovery of conjuration, realizing the creatures he had studied had abjuration abilities as well, and her grandfather."'</p><p>Vanden swallowed. 'Yeah.' He wrote that down.</p><p>'This isn't your subject, I'm guessing?'</p><p>'I have never studied magic,' Vanden looked over at him matter-of-factly, 'in my life.'</p><p>'Ah.'</p><p>'Mm.'</p><p>They got the answers to the other questions together. Vanden helped by remembering little details from the reading. And Cassian helped by overall, understanding what was going on, but he didn't bother to explain any of his answers.</p><p>They finished, and Vanden closed his textbook and tucked it in his bag.</p><p>'Strategy wouldn't be my best subject either.'</p><p>'What?' Vanden asked.</p><p>'Well, I heard about what you said in Strategy, day one.'</p><p>He sighed. 'Has everyone now?'</p><p>'Mostly just Medeis.'</p><p>Vanden furrowed his brow. 'Why?'</p><p>'Oh, Marlena and her friend wouldn't shut up about it in the commons.'</p><p>'Marlena,' Vanden repeated.</p><p>'The prefect who bugs you at lunch.'</p><p>Vanden said nothing.</p><p>'Got to say, you've become a bit of a celebrity.'</p><p>'Excuse me?'</p><p>'I'm just saying, you've gotten rather good at drawing attention to yourself.' Cassian shrugged, smirking. 'Maybe you could teach <em> me </em> something.'</p><p>'You think I'm doing this on purpose?'</p><p>'Well, with what you're wearing, it doesn't make it easier to blend in, does it?'</p><p>Vanden clenched his jaw.</p><p>'Dark and mysterious new kid. You were bound to pick up a reputation, Renard.'</p><p>'You know nothing about me,' Vanden pushed, wishing Cassian could see the look on his face. 'And neither do they.'</p><p>Cassian held his hands up in an annoyed surrender. 'Fine.'</p><p>'Fine.'</p><p>Vanden finished packing up his materials, and the bell rang. He swung his bag on his shoulder and passed in front of Cassian, not looking back, handing in his assignment on the way out.</p><p>He did not sit next to Cassian in Essential Medical Practice.</p><p>In fact, the class had no chairs to sit in at all. The large room was devoid of any tables or desks for students.</p><p>Familiar students filled the room, and he spotted Boblem and Sariel easily, sitting on one of the many large mats laid out in a grid around the room. He walked towards them and was already sitting down before he realized he could have sat anywhere.</p><p>He sighed to himself and tried to get the sour taste of Cassian out of his mouth.</p><p>Medical diagrams of different humanoid species hung on the walls, and cabinetry sat behind the teacher's desk, only about half-a-foot tall. He pondered it curiously before he saw her.</p><p>A very short, goblin woman walked out of her office. She was plump, with cropped, black hair, and beady black eyes, wrinkled with age. Her breasts were bound down, out of the way, and old scars slashed across her exposed arms and legs, dirty orange, but she faintly smiled, looking over the arriving class.</p><p>After the bell rang, she introduced herself as Professor Vinke and took attendance.</p><p>She lectured for the rest of the period. It was difficult to take notes without a desk to write on, but Vanden made do, using one of his textbooks as a hard surface. He drew diagrams of organ structures and labeled them with descriptions of each of their functions.</p><p>He hadn't had anything similar to this class in Farrelstadt. Only magical healing was taught, since it was so much more practical on the battlefield. But it left the students without magical abilities fumbling helplessly over their hurt allies.</p><p>This class was a relief.</p><p>At the end of class, she handed out a small medical bag to each student. It held simple supplies like needles and thread, antiseptic, rags, bandages, and soothing creams. They would carry them around and use them if necessary; although they were not yet familiar with the best techniques.</p><p>Class ended, and Vanden walked to lunch with Boblem and Sariel.</p><p>'I think we're having blueberry pancakes for lunch today,' Boblem remarked.</p><p>Vanden was barely listening. 'Yeah.'</p><p>'Is there something wrong?'</p><p>Vanden looked over. 'No.' He stared ahead at the looming lunch courtyard. 'I'm fine.'</p><p>'Are ya sure?' asked Boblem. 'Sometimes people lie about whether they're fine or not, and I just want to make sure you're okay.'</p><p>'Boblem,' Vanden sighed, and it became a laugh. 'I . . .' He huffed. 'Do either of you know who she was? The Medeis prefect day before yesterday? Purple hair. Her name's Marlena.'</p><p>'I don't know.' Boblem shrugged. 'I'd never seen her before.'</p><p>Vanden nodded, and they arrived in the courtyard. They got their food and sat down together.</p><p>'Ya know,' Boblem started, 'I don't think she could fight both of us if we worked together.'</p><p>'What?' Vanden asked. 'I—I don't want to start a-a <em> fight </em> in the middle of the courtyard.'</p><p>'Well, yeah, but I guess, if <em> they </em> start anything.'</p><p>'Mm, she wouldn't,' Vanden said. 'She's a prefect. She may be some schoolyard bully, but she clearly doesn't break rules. Reputation to maintain.'</p><p>'Hmph.'</p><p>Vanden glanced up. It was from Sariel, pushing her food around with her fork.</p><p>Barely acquaintances, Vanden didn't pry.</p><p>Towards the end of lunch, Marlena came again with her group of cronies, now larger, and they poked fun at Vanden's clothes and mask.</p><p>One of them grabbed at the fabric of his cloak, and Vanden flinched away.</p><p>They laughed, and the student taunted him, holding his hand as close as possible to Vanden's shoulder without touching it.</p><p>It took all of Vanden's mental fortitude to uncoil his clenched fist.</p><p>'I heard about what you said in Strategy,' Marlena said. 'You must be extremely smart, hmm?'</p><p>He ignored her.</p><p>'Think you're better than all of us?'</p><p>'Hey!' intervened Boblem, and the bullies' eyes all locked on him. He stood, walking towards Marlena, dwarfing her. Other students had stopped and turned to watch, the courtyard growing quiet. 'Apologize to him.'</p><p>'Boblem, please don't.'</p><p>'Really?' she asked, stepping closer. 'Why should I, if I may?'</p><p>The veins along her wrists darkened, throbbing with magic threateningly, but Boblem remained unfazed.</p><p>Vanden stood and pushed Marlena back, standing between her and Boblem. 'Leave us alone. You're making a fool of yourself. This is an academy, not a primary school.'</p><p>She huffed but stepped backwards, her head still held high. 'Well, then I'll see you tomorrow, Renard.' Her followers, the cowards, were retreating already, and she turned around.</p><p>And just for a split second, he caught her face as she was walking away—relieved.</p><p>Sitting down, he almost didn't believe that he had seen it, but it was far too late to check. He picked up his fork again to eat, as if nothing had happened, and Boblem sat down too. The other students looked away, gossiping.</p><p>'I appreciate ya having stepped in to help,' Boblem offered.</p><p>'You shouldn't have done that. She's a second year at least. She would have demolished you in battle. Especially with so many people to back her up.'</p><p>'I couldn't stand to see ya being treated like—'</p><p>Vanden raised his voice. 'Please, can we just,' he rubbed at his forehead, 'eat in silence?'</p><p>Boblem slowly nodded, and he opened his mouth but then closed it again.</p><p>Vanden continued to eat, and a few minutes later, lunch ended.</p><p>Vanden started towards his last class but was stopped. 'Renard de la Mer?' called a voice. Vanden looked over to see a tall Virtus girl who was helping out in Delphos's postal area. 'There's a letter for you.' She held out a short scroll.</p><p>Vanden walked over and took it. 'Thank you.'</p><p>It was from 'Corbeau.' He smiled but would have to read it later. He placed it in his bag.</p><p>Vanden pondered Marlena's relief periodically for the rest of the day, during Goblinoid class where he pretended to know nothing of the language, and while he walked to Etsabes's office to check for Aisha's contract. She hadn't signed up for one yet, and there were no vacant contracts which only called for two people. He'd have to check tomorrow.</p><p>He walked back to his dormitory.</p><p>Gods, why had she looked relieved?</p><p>She had been the one to start the teasing. The others didn't join in until after. What kind of appearance was she trying to uphold?</p><p>She seemed to practically command her followers to do her bidding, without speaking at all. Maybe it was the wealth or influence of her family. Maybe it was fear of her. Maybe both.</p><p>To make her feel powerful? Adored?</p><p>Rubbing at his temple, unlocking his room, Vanden stopped thinking about it. Selfish people made his head hurt.</p><p>Sitting down at his desk, he opened his letter.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Renard, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I'm glad you're doing well. I am as well. Work has been incredibly fun. Numbers and stuff, you know. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> People will eventually get used to your disguise. It might take a month or so, but let them get bored, and they'll leave you alone. Hopefully, at least. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But in the meantime, being mysterious is hot. Pick up a man or two. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Vanden hid a blush from no one.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Got to say, mercenary-wise, you've intrigued me. Libraries always have exactly what we're looking for, huh? They just understand us nerds. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Don't feel obligated to write a letter back. I wouldn't receive it until after I saw you in person. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What book, I didn't give you a book, what's a book? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Corbeau </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Vanden laughed. Ah, their idea of humour was so stupid.</p><p>He smiled, looking forward to seeing Theun after classes ended tomorrow, but with Strategy first thing in the morning, he had to finish his report.</p><p>He pulled it out, and a few ink stains and a spill later, he finished the assignment and found the strength to collapse onto his bed.</p><p>He slept dreamlessly.</p><p>Thankfully.</p><p>The next morning, he plopped his report into his bag and threw on his hefty cloak, mask, and scarf. He walked to Strategy.</p><p>Professor Saeki had them place their finished reports in the small box on his desk. Vanden did, and he spotted another student whose scroll massive. At least fifteen feet long. They were a short hobgoblin, black hair and golden spectacles, and despite being no older than fourteen, they held themself stiffly, like a soldier.</p><p>'Walk with your back straight, Prince Vanden,' a voice echoed from back home, so long ago. Vanden stopped running after the butterflies, and he returned to Lockwood. 'A person should know your importance from your posture alone, yes?'</p><p>Vanden shook himself away from the memory, and he returned to his desk.</p><p>Professor Saeki took the scroll-filled box through a door, which must have led to an office, and spent the rest of the period lecturing with maps and paintings from past wars. </p><p>A broad overview of different strategies with lots of vocabulary. It was nothing new for Vanden, but Professor Saeki held his attention well.</p><p>Vanden didn't raise his hand this time, but he sat and listened, trying not to be reminded of his early years, learning these same things, with his private tutor or in a similar classroom in Farrelstadt.</p><p>Professor Saeki wrapped up class without assigning anything else, and Vanden was off to Art of Weaponry.</p><p>It was outside, in another, larger courtyard, with wooden training dummies lined up in rows. The teacher was a tall, young woman, heavily muscled, with dark hair tied into a high bun with a purple ribbon. She introduced herself as Professor Oro in a drawl, a twang in her accent, and she took attendance, calling last names. Then, they were taken into a classroom, off of the courtyard. The class would fluctuate between the two areas.</p><p>She prefaced them with a speech about how dangerous the weapons were. If they weren't careful, they'd slice off each other's arms. </p><p>Afterwards, she moved into an open space towards the front of the classroom, and taught them the basic stances and the most basic of strikes with a long sword.</p><p>Most of Imperatoria, Virtus, and Callidus were disinterested.</p><p>Finally, they were led out into the courtyard again. They stretched then were told to take turns, striking on the dummies. Even the students who already had melee weapons on their backs or hanging at their hips were given wooden, practice swords. </p><p>Vanden frowned.</p><p>He waited for a few minutes behind an earth genasi Imperatoria student, whose technique had a long way to go.</p><p>Once Professor Oro's whistle blew for Vanden's turn, he readied his stance and swung himself into a sweeping attack, spinning on his toe. And he fell into the familiar, steady rhythm.</p><p>Whacking and piercing its heart.</p><p>Every time he'd visited Erran previously, he'd never been allowed to bring his rapier. It was always his stupid, wooden one instead.</p><p>'It's an <em> heirloom, </em> Prince Vanden. We can't let you lose it and disappoint the centuries of kings before you.'</p><p>'Prince Vanden! Slow down! You'll fall off the saddle!'</p><p>'You're hurting me.'</p><p>'Vanden,' Mattijn sighed, 'stop caring so much, would you?'</p><p>The sun beat high over him. Sweat settled into his clothing, muscles aching.</p><p>'You' re doing the steps wrong. It's 1-2-3-4, not 4-2-3-1. Once more. Try harder.'</p><p>'We don't speak of that, Vanden.'</p><p>'Stop trying to be so different. You're not special.'</p><p>'I warned you not to have a third child, Gerrit.'</p><p>His thoughts catapulted into conjecture, what had to be happening in Mirrortail, and his strikes hit harder.</p><p>'We lost good people during that attack. Put out warrants for their arrests. Dead or alive.'</p><p>'I always worried about him, but Theun? He was so . . . well behaved.'</p><p>'Lady Carina must be a mess. Have you seen her?'</p><p>Mattijn addressed the Council. 'There's no way Theun could have gotten out of the castle by himself. I think he's taken the crown prince hostage.'</p><p>The whistle blew.</p><p>And Vanden stepped back, the scarf over his face moist, and the metal mask hot against his skin. His fists loosened, and he exhaled heavily.</p><p>The dummy was barely a dummy anymore.</p><p>He sighed, dropped the wooden sword, and wiped at his forehead. He turned, and other students quickly looked away.</p><p>Professor Oro didn't.</p><p>She checked on him after class, but Vanden insisted he was fine. He dismissed her questions, but just before walking away, he caught her eyes lingering on the ornate handguard of his rapier. </p><p>He walked to lunch and chose to sit with Boblem and Sariel again. </p><p>But Sariel was gone.</p><p>'I saw her in our last class,' Boblem said. 'We were going to walk here together, but she said she needed to stop by her dormitory quickly. She hasn't come back.'</p><p>'How long has it been?'</p><p>'About ten minutes.'</p><p>'Hm.' Vanden pulled off his moist scarf and chewed a bite of pineapple. 'She clearly was made uncomfortable by Marlena the other day. Just give her time. If she doesn't want to eat with us, that's fine. I don't blame her.' He shrugged. 'You can do the same, if you want. Well, actually, you might get in trouble. The first years are supposed to stay here.'</p><p>'There aren't any teachers around,' Boblem said, and Vanden glanced around to see that he was right. There was no supervision. 'But I wouldn't want to leave ya alone.'</p><p>'I can handle myself.'</p><p>'Yeah.' Boblem sighed. 'I saw what ya did to that dummy.'</p><p>Vanden didn't respond.</p><p>'Are ya okay?' Boblem slouched and leaned forward, probably in an attempt to appear shorter. 'Ya seemed pretty angry back there.'</p><p>Vanden sighed. 'I'm not angry.'</p><p>Boblem nodded slowly.</p><p>He didn't elaborate, and after a minute of silence, it seemed that despite the offer, Boblem wasn't going anywhere. Vanden looked up at him. 'If anything happens with Marlena again today, don't intervene.'</p><p>Boblem nodded again. 'Okay.'</p><p>Ten minutes later, the prefect and her back-up dancers returned. At this point, it may as well have been listed on Vanden's schedule.</p><p>'Do you think he knows how to take them off?' asked one of Marlena's followers, eying his scarf, mask, and cloak. 'He put them on in Shadebourne, but then they got stuck.'</p><p>'Nah, he was probably born with them. Physical deformity.' </p><p>The others laughed, and Vanden stared blankly at the food in front of him. And at the comment, he worried exactly how much shit Theun had to put up with because of his disability.</p><p>'No,' Marlena cooed from behind him, 'he's just so ugly. If we ever saw his true face our hearts would stop beating. Monster with a heart of gold.' She grabbed Vanden's head and tilted it backwards to look straight up at her disgusting, pitying face. 'Isn't that right, Renard?'</p><p>Vanden snatched his head away. </p><p>Boblem looked ready to explode from repressed anger.</p><p>'Do you want something from me?' Vanden asked, turning around to face her with a fierce expression. 'Or is bullying just cheaper than therapy?'</p><p>'Nothing in particular,' she said. 'You wouldn't have much to give anyway.'</p><p>'What did you just say?' Vanden asked.</p><p>'I know you live way on the southwest of the city. Dirt poor.'</p><p>Vanden stood up. 'We aren't poor.'</p><p>She scoffed.</p><p>He pointed at his mask. 'Gold.'</p><p>'A fool's.'</p><p>Vanden seethed, grinding his teeth, but knowing it was what she wanted, he took a slow, deep breath and looked away.</p><p>'You want me and my friends to stop?' she asked. Vanden didn't respond, and she continued. 'Meet us. After school. Cooper's alley, off Imperial Plaza. We'll fight.'</p><p>'I'm not stupid.' Vanden narrowed his eyes on her. 'And I'm not gonna beat up a group of teenagers in the streets!'</p><p>'Coward.'</p><p>'This is about honour?' Vanden asked. 'And you're challenging me seven on one?'</p><p>'Bring whomever you want.'</p><p>'Not. Happening.'</p><p>A magical bell sounded over the now silent courtyard. Marlena didn't move.</p><p>Vanden clenched his jaw and picked up his rubbish. He left to toss it and when he returned, Marlena and the others were gone. He took a deep breath, swinging his bag over his shoulder, and hurried through the crowd, back to his dormitory. He changed scarves and cloaks and wiped the sweat off his mask, before rushing down to Practical Drills, nearly late.</p><p>It was in the same courtyard as Art of Weaponry. The training dummies were gone, and the class was headed by a hobgoblin wearing the naval uniform of an Errani lieutenant. They had short, black hair, androgynous features and long, thin legs. They spoke with their chest puffed out and their hands clasped behind their back.</p><p>Vanden had had practically the exact same class in Farrelstadt.</p><p>The bell rang, but the teacher approached Vanden, eying his cloak and mask with disgust. They asked him to take them off.</p><p>'This is the official Delphos cloak.' Vanden showed them the Imperatoria emblem on the breast.</p><p>'They're for winter.'</p><p>'The dress code doesn't specifically say that it can only be worn under that condition. I've discussed this with the Domina already, and she's—'</p><p>'And the mask?'</p><p>'A mark of the mercenary company I am a part of. We worship Avandra, and—'</p><p>'Right.' The teacher sighed. 'If you faint from the heat, it's your own fault.'</p><p>'Of course, Lieutenant.' Vanden forced a smile, and the teacher walked away.</p><p>Class started, and the teacher ordered the students to begin stretching and then to do five sprints back and forth across the courtyard. Vanden finished easily, more out of breath and out-of-shape than he'd like to be, but many other students were sweating already, huffing and puffing—mostly Medeis.</p><p>The students were then all given long swords and shields, and they lined up in rows.</p><p>The teacher, who finally introduced themself as Lieutenant Nelachi, walked through drills with the class, all lined up in rows like a legion. </p><p>They had to hold their weapons and shields uniformly, without touching anyone beside them, and Nelachi ordered them to use the basic strike they learned last period, all in unison.</p><p>The hobgoblin beside Vanden struggled with his footwork and knocked over a small, human girl. He helped her up, apologising profusely.</p><p>'Again!'</p><p>While the rules and specific drills were different from what he learned in Farrelstadt, Vanden caught on quickly enough. Others continued to struggle, but each of his repetitions was prefect.</p><p>He caught Nelachi smiling at him inquisitively, but meeting Vanden's eye, they looked away and continued class.</p><p>Soon enough, the bell rang, marking the end of the day's classes and the start of their two-day break, but Vanden didn’t follow many of his fellow students to the bathhouse.</p><p>He stopped shortly in Etsabes's office to look through the contracts.</p><p>Aisha had signed up for one taken out by a Lord Komo. Someone had been breaking into his estate for the past few days at night in order to steal his mount, a guard drake, and while his guards hadn't yet allowed the drake to be stolen, the thief kept slipping away before being apprehended. Lord Komo asked for two Delphos students to help protect the drake from being stolen until the thief could be caught. Vanden would have to be down there that night, at 9:00.</p><p>Vanden signed his alias at the bottom.</p><p>He returned to his dormitory and unpacked his bag. He didn't have any homework over his first break, so he emptied it except for his book from Theun and the medical kit. He shoved his notes on the siege and his mass of dirty clothes inside, and on second thought, he packed in his Rudimentary Magic textbook and notes as well.</p><p>Vanden put on a clean cloak and joined many students who were leaving the school.</p><p>He stepped out the gates and down the stairs. Carts waited outside for the students flooding out, and Vanden climbed up into one, setting down his bag. 'Acheron District,' he told the driver, and the cart clattered forwards.</p><p>Vanden breathed deeply, hands clasped together, leaning his forehead against them, and his mind fell into prayer.</p><p>To Bahamut.</p><p>Vanden gave thanks for his blessings, though few and far between, and asked for answers which wouldn't come. He looked up for a sign, but as always, there was nothing.</p><p>They reached the end of the stone street, bumping along on dirt road instead.</p><p>In the eerie silence, thoughts and questions rolled over and tore at his mind—suspects—cutting closer and closer to his sanity. </p><p>But Vanden forced himself out of it.</p><p>Think about anything else. Anything else.</p><p>It was nearly dinner time, his stomach grumbled. What would Theun would make? Or maybe they would go out to eat at a taverna. That would be nice. And maybe they could stop at the bookstore or—</p><p>Behind him. The rattling of another cart.</p><p>He turned. It was about twenty meters back, but there were several figures inside. One of which had bright purple hair.</p><p>He cursed loudly and glanced forwards. They were still a hundred meters away from the house. 'Stop. Stop the cart.'</p><p>The driver pulled on the reins and turned around. 'What?' she asked.</p><p>Vanden stood. 'Turn off, on that road.' He pointed ahead to an alley which connected to Lamia Street. 'I can walk from here.' He grabbed his bag and climbed off the cart.</p><p>The driver looked confused, but she turned and left him alone.</p><p>He set down his bag, away from him, then turned to stare down Marlena's carriage, approaching quickly. She and her followers got off, and their emptied cart passed him, turning off onto the same road.</p><p>Marlena motioned for her followers to stay back, and she swaggered towards him</p><p>'What in the nine <em> hells </em> do you want with me?'</p><p>'You intrigue me, Renard.' She stopped, six feet from him, smiling. 'Mysterious man shows up from Shadebourne, disguising himself. Can't say I'd be surprised if you were involved in some,' she shrugged, 'crime ring.'</p><p>'What?' he asked.</p><p>'You heard.'</p><p>He frowned, her guess being the farthest thing from the truth. 'And what are you then?' he asked. 'Some vigilante?'</p><p>'Oh, hardly.'</p><p>The ambiguity worried Vanden, and he put his hand on his rapier.</p><p>'Have you ever heard of Bespredel?'</p><p>'No?'</p><p>He hadn't.</p><p>She didn't respond, as if trying to discern a lie from under his mask.</p><p>'What is it?' he asked.</p><p>She decided he had lied. 'You're a spy here.'</p><p>'Excuse me?'</p><p>She beckoned her followers and drew a golden pickaxe from a large pouch on her belt. It was old and dented, but there was a diamond embedded in the end. Arcane runes lined the sides, lit up, and the veins climbed her wrists again.</p><p>Vanden drew his rapier.</p><p>She lashed out with the hammer, and a wave of energy punched out of Vanden's skull, knocking his balance. He rushed at her. His rapier through her arm. </p><p>But a magical tendril whipped at his chest. Roaring through his mind.</p><p>He called out and attacked again, and again, but she too, her dagger dragging shadows. And her followers were on him. </p><p>Strikes against his back. Sides. Eye.</p><p>With swords. Clubs. Feet.</p><p>On the ground. Trembling, head pounding. Hood askew and tunic torn.</p><p>Footsteps. Running.</p><p>And she stood over him. The others gone. She bent down, reaching forwards, and he flinched away. </p><p>But she grabbed his mask, and she tore it off.</p><p>He opened his eyes, staring up at her. Her eyebrows were raised. She paused but threw the mask back at him, twisting the dagger in her fingers, as if she were pondering something, but she raised it again.</p><p>And then she was pushed back, a figure standing in front of Vanden, protectively, strumming musical notes proudly into the silence.</p><p>Marlena fell backwards.</p><p><em> 'Get away!''</em> the figure shouted.</p><p>And she retreated, running, with her pack of followers.</p><p>Vanden shut his eyes. Pain sat in his chest, blood trailing from his nose and lips. Struggling to breathe. Head throbbing, ringing in his ears.</p><p>Musical notes played again, and lyrics too, in a beautiful, whispering language Vanden didn't know. </p><p>He creaked open his eyes to see a teal tiefling sitting in front of him, strumming a lute. They carried a backpack and wore traveller's clothing and a lot of simple, mismatched jewelry.</p><p>As the tiefling sang, Vanden's pain lessened, and he sat up shakily, pressing on his temple.</p><p>They finished their song, and he swung his lute around to his back. 'Who are you?' they asked, blinking solid yellow eyes.</p><p>Vanden winced at the sound and fumbled over his words. 'Wh-who are you?'</p><p>'I'm Verdant Astra.'</p><p>'Renard.'</p><p>'It's nice to meet you.' Astra smiled. 'Why were those people hurting you?'</p><p>Vanden sighed. 'Good question.' He pushed himself to his feet, groaning, and picked up his bag and discarded mask. He stared at it in his hand.</p><p>There was no one around besides Astra, so he pocketed it. </p><p>He stumbled along the dirt road, back to the house, and Astra joined him, walking at his side. 'Are you okay?' they asked. 'I can heal you more.'</p><p>'I'm fine.' The response was automatic. 'You don't have to walk with me.'</p><p>'I live this way too.'</p><p>'Oh.' Vanden hadn't seen him around before. 'Where?'</p><p>'In the forest.'</p><p>Vanden stared. 'The forest.'</p><p>'Yes!'</p><p>Music had played while he walked to school, and he nodded slowly. At least Astra wouldn't recognise him.</p><p>Vanden coughed up blood into his elbow and cursed, aching pain in his lungs. He reached a hand through a torn hole in his tunic and healed his side. It filled with warmth and fresh air, pain somewhat relieved.</p><p>Overheated, he pulled off his cloak and carried it under his arm. He avoided looking at Astra. 'Thank you.'</p><p>'You're welcome!' They spoke so jovially. About everything.</p><p>'Why did you save me?'</p><p>'They were hurting you even after you stopped fighting back,' Astra said. 'That's not fair.'</p><p>Vanden breathed deeply, swallowing back more blood, and wiped at his nose, still bloody. He pondered Astra's reasoning, missing details about why he had gone so far out of his way to intervene. For Astra, was there no other explanation needed?</p><p>Someone needed help. Period.</p><p>Vanden hadn't met nearly enough strangers like that to feel confident in the conclusion.</p><p>The two reached the house. Small and run-down, porch sagging, but the chimney spewed smoke perfectly well from whatever Theun was cooking inside. Vanden dug a key from his bag.</p><p>'You'll be all right then?' Astra asked.</p><p>'Yeah.' Vanden climbed the stairs and looked back down at Astra. 'But, I—I appreciate it.' He scratched the back of his head, which still stung. 'Just stay out of trouble. I don't want her to try to find you.'</p><p>'I'm sure it'll be fine.' He held his backpack straps tightly, bouncing on his toes.</p><p>Vanden turned back around and unlocked the door. He stepped through the threshold to see Theun in the kitchen, slicing potatoes.</p><p>He turned. 'Hey, Vanden, how was—' And his eyes went wide. 'Oh.'</p><p>Vanden licked his lips, not bothering to shut the door behind himself. 'I don't want to talk about it.'</p><p>Theun approached, but Vanden avoided him, ducking into his room and shutting the door. He splayed out over his bed, defeated, and without the energy to do anything else, he hugged himself, in pain.</p><p>Gentle voices whispered from outside his room, but he couldn't make our their words. And after a moment, there was a soft knock at his door.</p><p>Vanden wiped the tears from his cheeks.</p><p>'Vanden?' Theun asked. 'Would you like some tea?'</p><p>'That'd be nice,' he mustered.</p><p>'Take your time,' Theun paused, 'but I'd like to talk to you, okay?'</p><p>Vanden didn't answer.</p><p>Footsteps retreated from his door, and he pushed himself up to sit. He coughed, spitting out more blood. His chest didn't hurt much anymore, but he could feel the blood still in his lungs.</p><p>He pulled off his Delphos uniform. Bruises were already starting to form along his skin, and cuts gently dripped blood. He dug out the medical kit and cleaned them up. He sewed up the deeper wounds, but didn't bother with bandages.</p><p>He changed into a regency shirt and breeches and left his room. Theun stood at the counter, wearing a tunica, two mugs steeping in front of him. He tapped his fingers nervously.</p><p>'Hey.'</p><p>Theun turned around and nodded to him. Vanden sat down at the table.</p><p>'Astra told me what happened,' Theun said. 'I offered to let him come in, but they had something to do tonight.'</p><p>Vanden leaned his head against his hand.</p><p>'Were they kids from school?'</p><p>'Yeah.' Vanden blinked lazily, eyelids heavy. 'She mentioned something about a crime ring.'</p><p>Theun's eyes widened. 'One she was in?'</p><p>'No, she seemed opposed to it.' He rubbed at his head, speaking slowly. 'But not a vigilante. I don't know. She insinuated it was associated with Shadebourne.'</p><p>Theun paused. 'Did she think you were a part of it?'</p><p>'Yeah. She said I was a . . . a spy.'</p><p>Theun turned around again, quiet for some time, thinking. He spooned out the tea bags from the mugs and stirred honey into one of them. Waving his hands over the tea, the steam diminished.</p><p>He set the sweetened one down in front of Vanden, who thanked him and sipped it. Perfectly warm and sweet.</p><p>Theun leaned back against the counter, drinking his own, eyebrows lowered in worry. 'She might be involved in a rival crime ring.'</p><p>Vanden shrugged. 'She said the word 'Bespredel.' I think that the name of the . . .' he gestured vaguely '. . . thing.'</p><p>Theun nodded slowly. 'I'll look into it.'</p><p>Vanden wiped at his nose, still bleeding, and took another drink of his tea.</p><p>Theun looked at him curiously, worriedly. 'Did she use magic on you?'</p><p>'Yeah.'</p><p>'Does your head hurt?'</p><p>'Yeah.'</p><p>'Shit.' Theun sighed, set down his tea, and went into his room. He returned a moment later with a potion of healing. He crouched beside Vanden and looked inside his ears.</p><p>'What?'</p><p>'She did damage to your head. That's why your nose is bleeding.' Theun leaned on the table and stood. 'Nothing too serious, but take this anyway.' He slid the potion to him.</p><p>'I'm fine.'</p><p>'No, you're not.'</p><p>Vanden reluctantly uncorked the potion. He downed it, wincing at the course of magic, knitting through his head. He washed it down with the last of his tea and pushed the empty bottle aside.</p><p>Theun was slicing potatoes again. Something to do with his hands.</p><p>Vanden's head did feel better, and he could think much more clearly. But he wasn't going to admit that.</p><p>'I did a great job drawing attention to myself.' Vanden sighed sarcastically. 'Couple of possible allies though.'</p><p>'That's good.'</p><p>'And maybe Astra too.'</p><p>Theun nodded, and Vanden didn't say anything else.</p><p>'You should keep getting attacked there,' Theun said a moment later, smiling. 'See how many forest-dwellers you can draw out.'</p><p>Vanden suppressed his laugh. 'We'll have an army.'</p><p>'Exactly.' Theun dumped the cubed potatoes into a pot over the fireplace. He stirred it, then moved his fingers, casting a spell, and a spectral hand took over.</p><p>Theun grabbed his tea and sat down across from Vanden. He took a long drink, then set down his mug, empty.</p><p>'She saw my face.'</p><p>Theun froze, eyes wide. 'Did she recognise you?'</p><p>'I don't know.'</p><p>Theun breathed deeply. </p><p>Vanden opened his bag and pulled out the paper where he had copied the Weeping Eye passage. 'Here.' He slid it to Theun.</p><p>Theun slid it back. 'Tomorrow.'</p><p>Vanden nodded. He didn't bother to replace it into his bag.</p><p>'You need to rest. After dinner.'</p><p>'Can't,' Vanden said. 'I signed a contract. I have to go out to some lord's house and be a guard, or whatever. At 9:00.'</p><p>Theun sighed, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. He pushed up his glasses and glanced across the room at the pot over the fire. 'Rest now then,' he decided, looking back at Vanden.</p><p>'What about dinner?'</p><p>'Afterwards. I'll wake you up at 8:00.'</p><p>Vanden was in no state to argue, nodding and standing, lumbering to their sofa. He lay down. Theun covered him with a blanket, and without time for his exhausted mind to think of worrisome annotations and bad decisions—he fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lost</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Implied Animal Abuse</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Vanden sat on a beach, facing endless water, sun setting ahead of him, sharing wine with another boy, a few years older than him at seventeen. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Vanon was a hobgoblin, much taller than Vanden, muscled and broad-shouldered. Jawline sharp, bare arms and legs tanned deeply by the Errani sun. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Vanden really should have been getting back to his manor, or Lockwood would have his head. But the sand was so warm between his bare toes, and his family would be leaving the city soon, back to Mirrortail. He didn't how long it would be until he saw Vanon again. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘There's a story in Erran,’ Vanon said. ‘About Fate.’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Vanden looked over. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Vanon reclined, staring up at the sky as the stars peeked out from their corners of the universe. ‘Fate chooses people. And they come together, and they do some important, world-changing shit, and,’ he paused, ‘they don't separate.’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Where are you going with this?’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘A thousand years ago, Fate spoke. It chose people, and they were told it, and told it, and told it again.’ His eyes drifted across the sky. ‘Oracles and red strings.’ He looked over at Vanden who blinked, unsure what to make of Vanon's ramblings. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Now, everything's much quieter. There's no war anymore. But I don't think Fate stopped choosing people. They're just . . . dormant.’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Okay, you're done.’ Vanden moved the bottle of wine away from him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘No, no, hey.’ Vanon smiled, lopsided. ‘You explained to me the whole Warden thing. You're supposed to protect the East of Caldera in case of war, but for the most part, you're just a show dog, cutting ribbons.’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Vanden raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you implying I was chosen by Fate?’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘I don't know, maybe.’ Vanon leaned over and snatched back the wine, winking. ‘You seem pretty important to me.’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>A hand shook Vanden from his dream, the first relaxing one he'd had in days.</p><p>‘Good morning-evening,’ said Theun.</p><p>Vanden grumbled and wiped at his eyes. One of them was starting to swell up, but opening them, he could see well enough.</p><p>He was still on the sofa, and he remembered Marlena and the contract that night.</p><p>Theun stood above him. ‘Feeling better?’</p><p>Vanden nodded. His head didn't hurt anymore.</p><p>‘Good. I've kept supper warm for you. It's on the counter.’ Theun gestured towards it. ‘When will you be back from the contract?’</p><p>Vanden sat up, pushing off the blanket. ‘Probably not until morning.’</p><p>Theun nodded. He made a magical gesture, and a cloth bag of ice conjured in his hand. ‘Here. For your eye.’</p><p>Vanden thanked him and took it, standing. Theun disappeared behind his bedroom door, and Vanden grabbed the plate from the counter. Cheap beef, bread, and mashed potatoes.</p><p>He ate quickly and threw on a new uniform, his rapier, his mask, a scarf, and his last clean cloak. He put the ice on the counter and left, walking quickly. No carts would be out this late at night, and Lord Komo's was rather far from his poor district.</p><p>He took the small road east, through the guilds, and into the richest part of town. Here, there were plenty of street lamps to illuminate the expensive homes and flagstone, as if dusk was permanent.</p><p>And rising up on the horizon, he took a detour to avoid passing the Argentfort Summer Manor.</p><p>Couldn't look at it.</p><p>This really was the area of Erran Vanden should have been staying out of. The most likely place for someone to recognize him. He pulled his hood further over his forehead and kept his eyes down.</p><p>He found the large estate, labelled as Arangi Komo's. The house had a short, garden wall and a few posted guards, but no other defenses.</p><p>He checked his pocket watch. 8:50. On time.</p><p>He approached and knocked on the door. A butler answered and he was let inside. A guard, human, carrying a whip and a crossbow, brought him through the stables.</p><p>He passed the drake, in a metal cage inside of its stall. Black, four-legged, and reptilian, with a hook pierced through its snout. It bled from multiple wounds, but its teeth were brushed perfectly white for parades. It growled at him as he passed.</p><p>The guard snapped a whip at his side, and the drake whimpered at the sound.</p><p>‘Sorry about that.’ The guard dismissed it and continued.</p><p>Vanden tried not to think about it.</p><p>There were two doors to the stable, but the thief always entered through the one facing south, to the forest. He was stationed there, Aisha at his side. The guard took the other door, and others circled the perimeter.</p><p>The stables were so far in the back of the estate that there was no light on the southern side. He stared at the darkness he was supposed to guard and hoped Aisha could see in the dark. Her ears were hidden by her headscarf, so he didn't know if she was human.</p><p>The guard was about thirty feet away, and there were a number of animals in the stable—horses, donkeys, dogs, and the drake—to make plenty of noise.</p><p>‘Hey,’ he whispered.</p><p>‘I'm getting an artefact from the display in that Delphos building,’ Aisha started, wasting no time. ‘It's on the first floor, but your archives are on the second. I'll turn us invisible, and we'll climb the tree on the western side. I'll unlock the window there, which leads into the archives, and while I climb back down, you'll go in and find your information. Afterwards, make a loud distraction upstairs as you escape back down the tree, and I'll be breaking in downstairs. Then I get what I want, and we escape.’</p><p>Vanden nodded. ‘Quite the plan.’</p><p>‘They won't know we're there until we're gone.’</p><p>They decided on a few details together. They would do it a week from now. The distraction would be Vanden throwing something to make a loud noise, and Aisha would <em> not </em> be turning Vanden invisible.</p><p>She was confused, but he didn't explain.</p><p>They spent the rest of the time talking about meaningless, nonsensical things like in what way a dragon would wear a tutu.</p><p>But about an hour in, there was a crackle of leaves in the woods.</p><p>Vanden put his hand on his rapier, and Aisha drew a material component from a pouch.</p><p>Faint musical notes filled the silence. Familiar.</p><p>No.</p><p>A lute and words sung faintly in that beautiful, whispering language.</p><p>Aisha clutched at her head.</p><p>Vanden did not draw his sword.</p><p>The guard appeared between them, having heard, and he fired a crossbow bolt into the treeline.</p><p>‘No!’ Vanden ground his teeth. ‘Dammit.’ He ran into the forest, blind in the darkness. He wanted to light his glove, but then the guard shooting would be able to see them too. ‘Astra!’</p><p>‘Renard?’</p><p>‘What are you doing here?’ Vanden whispered angrily, hiding behind a tree, near where Astra's voice was coming from.</p><p>‘I'm trying to save that creature. It's being treated like—’</p><p>‘I know.’ Vanden cringed at the injustice and the decision he had to make.</p><p>Fast.</p><p>Lakeside was the only city-state in Caldera which had any laws to protect the drake. The only way to free it was illegal.</p><p>And they had to.</p><p>Another crossbow bolt. It fired into the tree he hid behind, and there were more footsteps, running through the brush.</p><p>‘What in the hells?’ Aisha.</p><p>‘You saw the drake,’ Vanden said. ‘You had to have. They were abusing it.’</p><p>‘That's not why we're here!’</p><p>‘Does it matter?’</p><p>Guards were shouting. ‘Over here! It's the thief!’</p><p>‘The students are on their side!’ Another bolt fired, and more footsteps.</p><p>‘I can't be doing this,’ muttered Aisha. ‘I can't draw attention to myself! Fuck, we're going to be expelled.’</p><p>‘We've got to go.’</p><p>‘I'll look for information upstairs about the drake,’ she said. ‘You two hold off the guards down here as a distraction. Once I've found where it's from, I'll come down, break it out, and we'll escape with the drake together.’</p><p>‘Got it.’ Vanden drew his sword as Aisha whispered an incantation, and her footsteps ran off. Finally lighting his glove, he whipped around to face the guard with the crossbow. He hit him on the head with the butt of his sword, and Astra cast a spell. The guard shot at Astra, through their shoulder, but Vanden hit him again, and he dropped.</p><p>Three more.</p><p>More butts from his rapier. Their attacks missed.</p><p>More music. Out-of-place.</p><p>And they lay, unconscious.</p><p>He turned to Astra. ‘Come on.’ Vanden dropped the spell on his glove, and Astra hurried out, following him into the stables.</p><p>Two hobgoblins and a half-orc. A strike from a lance vaguely dug into Vanden's abdomen. They fought, weapons unsheathed and deadly. But they, too, were knocked out.</p><p>No wonder Komo wanted to bolster his security.</p><p>More came from outside. But with a few more melodious measures of strings and impromptu sword percussion concussions, Astra and Vanden knocked them unconscious too.</p><p>‘SHE'S IN HERE!’</p><p>Vanden winced, turning around to see the drake cowering in the corner of its cage from the noises of fighting. But it still growled, terrified.</p><p>‘Should we go help her?’ Astra asked.</p><p>Thunder magic boomed upstairs.</p><p>‘I think she can handle herself,’ Vanden said.</p><p>The drake shrieked at the thunder, and Astra pursed his lips. ‘I'm going to try something,’ he said, and they opened the stall door to the drake, revealing the cage. They sat down beside it and spoke, gutturally with harsh flicks of the tongue. Draconic, it had to be.</p><p>The drake was shocked. It responded, still angry and scared.</p><p>‘Brilliant,’ Vanden said. He turned around, alert with his rapier, and the two continued back and forth. Astra's speech was much slower and clunkier than the drake's, but to some extent, it seemed calmed by the sounds of its home.</p><p>Aisha ran into the stables, panting and bleeding. ‘It was taken from the southern jungles.’</p><p>‘So, we let it escape south into the forest?’ Vanden suggested.</p><p>‘That's the best we can do.’ Aisha moved past Vanden and Astra to mess with the lock. Despite the guards' incompetence, there was no obvious key hanging anywhere, so she pulled out thieves' tools.</p><p>Gods, she really was a criminal, wasn't she?</p><p>More footsteps ran down the stairs, after Aisha. This guard put up a bit more of a fight, but after a few knocks on her head, Vanden managed to kick her in the chest. She fell back, on top of another unconscious guard, and didn't get back up.</p><p>The drake had been riled again by the clashing of metal. Astra still spoke to it, but the cage bars shook as Aisha worked, and the drake growled. It climbed up. Shoved its head through the bars. Biting at her.</p><p>She stumbled backwards and cursed.</p><p>Astra said something in Draconic, trying to calm it, and they gently pushed their arm into the cage.</p><p>But the drake lashed out. Astra's hand brushed the hook through its snout. And it screamed. Bit him too.</p><p>Astra yelled, clutching his arm.</p><p>‘Get away from it!’ Vanden ordered, and Astra and Aisha obeyed. Vanden resheathed his sword and told the others to stay alert. He wished he hadn't raised his voice. He slowly approached the cage, waiting for the drake to relax a little bit, and he kneeled. ‘It's okay,’ he whispered. ‘We're gonna get you out of here.’</p><p>The drake's teeth still threatened to bite.</p><p>Vanden repeated the words, Astra playing music, smooth and calming. Tentatively, Vanden placed his fingers through the cage bars, breathing slowly. And, with no violent reaction from the drake, he offered his hand out and waited. Still whispering.</p><p>The drake's chest rose and fell heavily, and it stepped forwards, equally as tentative.</p><p>It sniffed Vanden's hand.</p><p>‘It's okay,’ Vanden repeated, smiling. ‘It's okay.’</p><p>He moved his fingers closer, and the drake growled, so Vanden pulled them back. He waited a moment, letting the drake process what was happening, and he tried again.</p><p>The drake was shaking, but it allowed Vanden's gentle fingers to stroke its neck. He wished he could heal it, but he was too exhausted, having healed himself earlier.</p><p>‘It's okay.’</p><p>And the drake nuzzled into his arm. Exhausted too.</p><p>‘Go ahead,’ he told Aisha, and she continued fiddling with the lock, more carefully now. ‘What happened upstairs?’ Vanden asked.</p><p>‘I got the ones after me. I don't know if there are more.’</p><p>Still consoling the drake, Vanden turned to Astra. ‘Keep a lookout.’</p><p>Astra nodded, solemnly clinging to the wound on his arm, and they did as they were told.</p><p>‘It was just scared, Astra.’</p><p>‘I know.’</p><p>Finally, the lock clicked open, and Aisha stepped to the side. ‘Get out of the way.’</p><p>Vanden and Astra moved, and the doorway facing south made a straight path into the forest.</p><p>Into freedom.</p><p>Aisha opened the gate, and the drake paused, unsure of what it was meant to do. It glanced at Vanden, and he nodded. The drake stared out into the forest ahead, and it bolted.</p><p>Guards.</p><p>They intercepted the drake.</p><p>It retreated a few steps, and then in a second, it fled, sprinting off sideways, rounding the corner. Back in the direction of the city.</p><p>Vanden shouted, cursing at no one.</p><p>Two guards chased after it, but another ran into the stables, after them. Aisha fired a huge, lightning spell, and he crumpled, surely dead. ‘We have to get out of here.’ She turned and went through the other door, and she ran across the estate, towards the flagstone street.</p><p>Vanden ran after her, and Astra too. ‘We can't just let the drake free in the city!’</p><p>‘What can we do?’</p><p>Vanden sighed.</p><p>They raced through the gate, and the three of them stood outside, lights flickering on in windows of the nearby houses. There was no sign of which way the drake had gone.</p><p>‘Seems like people are waking up now,’ Astra observed.</p><p>Aisha ignored them. ‘I can disguise or make invisible two of us, of the three.’</p><p>‘Why do we need to get disguises?’</p><p>‘They know who we are,’ Vanden agreed. ‘Aisha and I at least. We signed their contract.’</p><p>‘Because the guards weren't trying to knock us out,’ Aisha reasoned. ‘Let's start moving.’ She turned to Astra. ‘You're the most visually recognizable of the three of us.’ Aisha touched his arm, and he disappeared. She morphed into a short, human woman with black hair and an expensive chiton. ‘I'm sorry, Renard.’ She took him by the arm, and they walked quickly down the street, as if they were a couple.</p><p>Vanden tensed at the contact, but said nothing, playing along. He was a husband, trying to get away from the commotion.</p><p>Wearing a Delphos Academy uniform.</p><p>‘I'm invisible?’ asked Astra from behind them.</p><p>‘You're invisible,’ Aisha said.</p><p>Locks of Aisha's hair picked themselves up and flew around as Astra giggled. Vanden rolled his eyes.</p><p>A door slammed open, and a voice hollered out into the night. ‘FIND IT! Where has it gone? Find them!’</p><p>Vanden swallowed, clenching his teeth, and the Argentfort manor appeared at their left. ‘This one's empty.’ He unlinked his arm from Aisha's and hopped over the garden wall, hiding behind it.</p><p>Aisha joined him, slumping down at his side. ‘How do you know?’</p><p>Vanden didn't answer.</p><p>‘Oh, we're hiding!’ He heard Astra clamber over the wall and sit down. ‘I'm invisible.’</p><p>‘We can still hear you,’ Vanden said, frustrated.</p><p>‘Oh.’</p><p>Astra continued to invisibly make Aisha's hair fly as a guard's footsteps thumped behind them.</p><p>He leaned over the wall, his body and spear casting a long shadow ahead of them, but he huffed, and disappeared, continuing on.</p><p>Vanden released his breath.</p><p>They all waited. And in the dim light, Vanden stared ahead at the house—his house—white-washed walls with high columns and arched windows. And its porch. A morning, years ago, when Vanon had seen him for the first time in years. Picked him up and swung him around. Mattijn watched idly nearby, relaxed and amused.</p><p>People weren't supposed to touch Vanden, but he would give anything for that moment again.</p><p>Aisha stood, hopping back over the wall.</p><p>Vanden fell back into the present and realized it had been quite some time. The guard hadn't returned, so he followed her and continued on down the street towards Lamia, which bisected this one.</p><p>‘Oh, we're going this way now,’ came Astra behind him.</p><p>Turning off this road, it was still a residential area: full of houses which were full of people with sticks up their arses.</p><p>‘I think the best thing to do at this point,’ Vanden said, ‘would be to go back to Delphos and explain what happened.’</p><p>Aisha didn't reply, clearly still angry.</p><p>‘I know you don't want to, but I think it's better than waiting around to be arrested.’</p><p>‘We're going to be arrested?’ Astra asked.</p><p>‘I hope not,’ he said, knowing his name was Vanden and not Renard.</p><p>‘What's Delphos?’</p><p>‘The academy in Erran.’</p><p>‘Erran has an academy?’</p><p>Vanden sighed. ‘Never mind.’</p><p>Vanden breathed slowly, trying to calm down. He shouldn't be mad at Astra. For all of their naïvety, they were a good person. From his healthy, beating heart to the tips of his musical fingers.</p><p>Delphos Academy, darkened and deserted at—Vanden checked his watch—nearly 11:00, appeared distantly.</p><p>‘Do you think Etsabes will even be there?’ Aisha asked, stopping them on a street corner. ‘And the Domina? Maybe we should try in the morning.’</p><p>‘Aisha.’</p><p>She huffed. ‘We could do it now. Break into that Delphos building.’</p><p>Vanden raised his eyebrows.</p><p>‘I don't have the energy to cast spells anymore, but if we're careful and quick enough I won't need them.’</p><p>‘Why now?’</p><p>‘So I can leave the city.’</p><p>Vanden understood but disagreed. ‘Aisha, we'll find some other time, okay? Trust me, I don't want to be doing this either. There's a reason I'm wearing this disguise.’</p><p>She was quiet for a while. ‘My name's Elyse.’</p><p>Vanden nodded.</p><p>Astra perked up, smiling. ‘I'm Astra!’</p><p>The silence fell to Vanden, but he said nothing. He couldn't. And it passed. ‘Let's go.’ And they started again towards the school.</p><p>Elyse dropped her disguise.</p><p>The gates were opened for them. Many students arrived late because of contracts, so this was nothing new. And Astra was still invisible.</p><p>They walked towards the main building which held the office, and Elyse made Astra visible again. They knocked.</p><p>And they waited.</p><p>Eventually, the door stumbled open, revealing a sleepy office worker. She was a short woman with curling horns and brown, pointy tufts of ears. ‘Can I help you?’</p><p>‘Yes,’ Vanden scratched at the back of his head, covered by his hood, ‘we'd like to speak with the Domina.’</p><p>‘She's not here right now, but you can talk to her tomorrow. She'll be here in the afternoon.’</p><p>‘It's urgent. Can you make sure she knows we came here tonight?’</p><p>She shrugged. ‘Okay.’</p><p>‘Could you take a message?’</p><p>She shrugged again. ‘Okay.’ She pulled out a notepad and began writing.</p><p>‘Something happened on the contract that Lord Komo took out. And,’ he sighed, ‘there may or may not be a guard drake loose in the city.’</p><p>She straightened, as if finally awake. ‘What?’</p><p>‘Yeah.’</p><p>She hastily wrote that down. ‘Um, I should alert the City Guard about that.’</p><p>‘Tell them it doesn't like sounds of metal clashing,’ Astra said.</p><p>‘I'm sure they already know it's loose, but it's just scared,’ Vanden agreed. ‘Komo had been hurting it. So, we tried to . . . set it free.’</p><p>Her eyes widened, realizing this had been purposeful. ‘Into the city?’</p><p>‘We didn't mean for that part,’ Elyse clarified.</p><p>‘It's home is in the southern jungles.’ Astra said. ‘We just wanted it to get back home.’</p><p>Vanden complicated the matter further. ‘But Komo's guards intercepted it as it was running into the forest and caused it to turn around.’</p><p>‘Maybe I should get the Domina.’</p><p>Vanden nodded.</p><p>The three of them were let inside to sit in a line of chairs down the office's hallway.</p><p>The office worker stepped into a smaller room and began a messaging spell. ‘Sorry for such a late message. You need to come in. There were complications on the Komo contract. Be careful. Frightened drake free in streets.’</p><p>They waited, and Vanden stared at his pocket watch as it ticked past 11:00. The office worker came out of the room and addressed them. ‘She said she would be here in half an hour. And I will send someone to alert the Guard that you are all here.’ Vanden thanked her, and she left the office. She returned a few minutes later, carrying files, and disappeared behind the door again.</p><p>The entire office was deserted besides the two people sitting on Vanden's sides. And they sat in silence.</p><p>And in silence.</p><p>‘So, that went really well,’ Elyse started.</p><p>‘I thought it went really, really well actually,’ Astra said. ‘We managed to save that creature.’</p><p>‘Yeah.’ Vanden sat up. ‘Astra, why didn't you tell me?’</p><p>‘Hm?’</p><p>‘Why didn't you tell me that you were breaking into Komo's estate?’</p><p>‘Well, I never really had a good opportunity,’ Astra said. ‘And everyone seemed really angry about it. I didn't want you to be angry at me too.’</p><p>Vanden crossed his arms, resting his head against the wall behind him. ‘We could have planned this out much better.’</p><p>Astra frowned and stared at his lap.</p><p>Elyse leaned forward in her chair, looking back and forth between the juxtaposition that was Vanden and Astra. ‘How do you know each other?’</p><p>‘Renard was being beaten up by some people,’ said Astra, ‘and I stopped them.’</p><p>Vanden clenched his jaw. ‘Can we not?’</p><p>‘Oh, by who?’ Elyse asked.</p><p>‘I don't know who they were,’ Astra admitted. ‘They wore the same clothing as you though.’</p><p>‘Students?’</p><p>Vanden sighed. ‘Yes, they were students.’</p><p>‘Why did they beat you up?’</p><p>‘Look at me.’ He gestured angrily to his hidden face. ‘Why wouldn't they beat me up?’</p><p>‘Yeah, actually, that's fair.’</p><p>‘So—can—we—move—on?’ Vanden emphasized every word, and silence fell, tense and uncomfortable.</p><p>‘Sorry,’ Astra murmured.</p><p>Vanden breathed deeply but didn't say anything else.</p><p>Astra and Elyse both pulled out journals—Elyse's dirty, burnt, and falling apart—and they began writing.</p><p>Vanden didn't want to think about animal abuse or prison or false identities anymore. And gods, what Theun would think. He pushed it from his mind, preferring even memories he would never get back. And he drifted again into dreams: a man, tall and long-haired, with a sailor's cavalier hat and the dirty mouth to match.</p><p>Too soon, Vanden was shaken awake by Elyse, and he flinched away from her hand.</p><p>‘The Domina's here,’ Elyse said, standing. ‘She spoke shortly with that office woman, but she wants us now.’</p><p>Vanden rubbed at his eyes. The three of them filed into the Domina's office and sat in three chairs opposite her. She wore a simple tunic and a grim expression.</p><p>She paused, her hands fiddling with a sheet of paper—the contract he and Elyse had signed. ‘The situation has been explained to me.’ She looked at each of them. ‘Aisha, Renard, and,’ she stared at Astra's lack of a uniform, ‘you must be . . .’</p><p>‘Verdant Astra.’ He was quiet, crestfallen, eyes staring at his feet.</p><p>‘They were the thief,’ Vanden elaborated.</p><p>She nodded, looking at all of them. ‘Let me hear the story from you.’</p><p>Elyse and Astra remained silent, so Vanden started. He explained the entire ordeal. He mentioned that he had met Astra previously but not that he'd been attacked.</p><p>The Domina listened without interrupting. He finished with Komo's guards intercepting the drake, and the three of them fleeing to Delphos, because the guards had been trying to kill them.</p><p>‘I appreciate you coming here to speak with me instead of,’ she paused, ‘waiting.’</p><p>‘Are we going to be expelled?’ Elyse asked.</p><p>‘I cannot say for sure.’</p><p>‘I've read the entire student handbook,’ said Vanden, ‘and the only required class to graduate is Ethics and Morality.’</p><p>‘I am aware,’ she said. ‘I am inclined not to punish you, but both of you were making these decisions as students, wearing our uniform, and representing our school.’</p><p>‘If we had left the drake to be abused,’ Vanden pointed out, ‘we would have been representing the school in our inaction.’</p><p>She pursed her lips. ‘I suppose, but,’ she stared down at her hands, folded on her desk, ‘the decision is not solely mine. We have a council who will have to vote.’ She looked back up at them. ‘And separately from breaking school rules, all three of you have committed a crime. Even with such reasoning for your actions.’</p><p>‘It shouldn't be illegal to save an animal,’ Astra chimed sadly.</p><p>The Domina sighed. ‘As true as that may be, Delphos Academy has no say in the decisions of Erran's justice system.’</p><p>‘Would it help our case if we could prove Komo had stolen the drake?’ Elyse asked.</p><p>Vanden's eyes widened, and his mind raced through possibilities.</p><p>‘Yes,’ the Domina said, eyebrows raised. ‘Do you have reason to believe that he . . .’</p><p>‘I was searching upstairs in Komo's house for information about where the drake had come from. I managed to find that, and it was vaguely insinuated that it was stolen from another person. I didn't have time to investigate properly, but.’</p><p>‘We didn't know that until after we were stealing it,’ Vanden said. ‘And snooping through his private documents.’</p><p>‘True,’ the Domina agreed. ‘But if Komo is convicted, he can't charge you with a crime.’</p><p>‘Oh,’ Vanden said. ‘That's not how it works in Mirr—Shadebourne.’ He swallowed nervously, but thankfully, the Domina seemed not to have noticed his stumble.</p><p>‘Um, does Erran have laws for self-defense?’ Elyse asked.</p><p>‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It does depend on the severity, but, yes.’</p><p>‘Well,’ Elyse winced, ‘the guards were trying to kill us. For some reason. And the magic I know isn't easy to make non-lethal.’</p><p>Her lips became a thin line, a crease in her brow. ‘I see.’</p><p>‘Not all of them,’ Elyse added. ‘But four or so, I would guess.’</p><p>The Domina glanced at Vanden.</p><p>He raised his hands up, as if surrendering. ‘I didn't kill anyone.’</p><p>And then to Astra.</p><p>Their eyes widened. ‘Oh, I would never.’</p><p>The Domina looked back at Elyse, who shrunk in her chair. ‘The court will decide that.’</p><p>‘Okay,’ she squeaked.</p><p>‘I presume the City Guard will be arriving here soon, and you will be held in jail temporarily. I'll tell them what you found, and they will search through Komo's documents. If they find sufficient evidence, he will be tried.’</p><p>‘How long is all of that going to take?’ Vanden asked.</p><p>‘At least until tomorrow afternoon, but it could be days. It depends on the evidence they find.’</p><p>He nodded. Erran was significantly more efficient than Mirrortail. ‘Will I have to take my mask off?’</p><p>The Domina paused. ‘It's likely.’</p><p>Vanden grimaced, but he tried to sound neutral, ‘Okay.’</p><p>A few minutes later, as the Domina said, the City Guard rapped on the office door. She led the three of them out of the room.</p><p>The captain of the Guard, who introduced himself as Captain Kantola, asked a few questions and got a few answers. The Domina told him about the possible evidence of Komo having stolen the drake. The guard was suspicious and skeptical.</p><p>She ignored his demeanor and asked whether the drake had yet been caught.</p><p>‘No.’</p><p>Vanden didn't know whether to be happy about that or not, but before he could decide, their belongings were taken and the three of them were walked outside.</p><p>‘No, no, no!’ Astra helplessly reached his arm out to the guard who had taken his bag.</p><p>Vanden was extremely glad he didn't have his school bag with him. It contained his leather-bound scroll of pedigree, proving his royal heritage. He <em> was </em> wearing his signet ring under his gloves, but he doubted he would be asked to remove those.</p><p>They were shuffled into a covered carriage, and it rattled through the city. Elyse, Vanden, and Astra sat together in the cabin with a guard for half an hour.</p><p>Completely silent.</p><p>Upon reaching the jail, Kantola asked Vanden to take off his mask. He breathed deeply, pulled down his hood and scarf, and removed it.</p><p>Kantola furrowed his brow, and Vanden's breath quickened.</p><p>‘What happened to your eye?’</p><p>‘It was unrelated to the contract,’ Vanden said, relieved. ‘I fell down the stairs up to my house. I'm all right.’</p><p>Kantola nodded, and Vanden tied his mask back on, now realizing how crooked it was because of the swelling.</p><p>‘We'll get treatment for that and the others' injuries in the morning.’</p><p>And they were dropped into a simple holding cell, alone together.</p><p>A long, wooden bench lined the walls. Astra sat in a corner, knees tucked in, holding themself, and Elyse sat down beside him, stewing. Blood dripped down their arms.</p><p>Across the other side of the cell were two others, their features invisible in the dim light. One was a tall, heavy-set figure, and the other, a small woman. They lay on the bench, asleep, and with no plush mattresses or bedrolls in sight, Vanden would have to sleep on it too. He bit his privileged tongue and claimed the stretch of bench between the two groups.</p><p>The wood groaned as he lay down, facing the wall. The stiff air stuck to him, heavy and warm, but even having rested earlier, he tried to sleep. And thoughts came to him, caught in the limbo between dream and waking.</p><p>‘Would you like me to heal that for you?’</p><p>Vanden opened his eyes.</p><p>‘Yeah, thank you.’</p><p>Astra was talking to Elyse, and he began singing softly without his instrument. Words wisping like wind through trees.</p><p>After a minute, the song finished. ‘How are you feeling?’ Elyse asked.</p><p>‘Great,’ Astra said. ‘About what we did.’</p><p>‘I really wished we could have followed that guard drake.’ She sighed. ‘We should attempt to find out where it's gone. After we're out of here, at least. Because we've kind of just unleashed,’ she paused, ‘quite a powerful creature.’</p><p>‘I have a feeling it knows where it's going to go,’ said Astra. ‘You said it was stolen from somebody else, so I think it might know where to go back to. Either that or it'll just leave the city. If not, I'm sure we can help it again.’</p><p>‘Well, considering what we're doing right now, I don't think it likes us too much. But hopefully, it appreciates being set free.’</p><p>‘I think it likes Renard a lot. It let him do it. Which I think is a good judge of character.’</p><p>Vanden smiled, and he felt their eyes on his figure, thinking he was asleep.</p><p>‘He's very nice. He helped a lot.’</p><p>Elyse breathed deeply, in silent refutation.</p><p>Vanden kept himself from reacting. Public presentation and façades had given him years of practice.</p><p>‘I'm going to sleep,’ Astra said.</p><p>‘Yeah, okay.’</p><p>He heard shuffling and wood creaking.</p><p>Vanden wasn't sure what to make of Elyse. She seemed very much like a criminal, but she had helped free the abused drake too. Puzzling. Like that chaotic pirate from the book Theun had given him.</p><p>Vanden did eventually find himself drifting to sleep, into the siege once more: treason and gnolls and missing memories.</p><p>He awoke in a jolt, but he couldn't remember why. He dismissed it and rolled over. He opened his eye, the other now swollen shut, to see everyone else asleep.</p><p>Elyse slept in the middle of the room on the floor. Astra sat on the bench, propped against the corner wall. The other two people were now finally illuminated by a window outside of the cell. The small figure was a scrawny, human woman with matted hair. Beside her was a teenage hobgoblin, heavy-set, facing the wall. The bench sagged under him.</p><p>Two hobgoblin guards hung outside of the cell, chatting quietly near the sole window. Past them, there was another holding cell. Empty.</p><p>Vanden's swollen eye ached, tight against his mask. Alone, he quietly removed it and his scarf. He wiped the coat of sweat off his mask, onto his cloak. He didn't want to replace it, so he left it off.</p><p>Too soon, Elyse gently stirred and Vanden tied his mask back on, looser, and pulled up his scarf and hood. ‘Good morning.’</p><p>‘Eh, is it though?’ Elyse asked.</p><p>Vanden sighed.</p><p>A while later, they were given disgusting food, which Vanden wasn't hungry enough to eat yet, and a healer was brought in. Astra and Elyse's wounds were properly healed with magic. Vanden refused the treatment.</p><p>The healer left, and hours passed, and Vanden watched the window's rectangle of light move across the floor as the sun rose, and the cell grew hotter and stuffier. There was no air circulation whatsoever. The window didn't even look like it could be opened.</p><p>He'd never spent so long in his disguise.</p><p>This stupid disguise.</p><p>How many people in Erran would really recognize the prince? How many at Delphos?</p><p>Astra hadn't. That guard hadn't.</p><p>Marlena had. But that damage was already done.</p><p>Unless there were others like her.</p><p>No, he couldn't allow his thought to wander. He focused on anything else.</p><p>The Maw. Maybe he and Theun could go sometime. Theun hadn’t been since he was three-years-old, but there were arcane gladiators Vanden was sure he would love.</p><p>He'd told Theun he'd be back by morning. And as the sun continued to rise, Theun had to be getting panicked.</p><p>Vanden clawed his hands through his hair, letting his hood fall behind him. His body was warm and sticky and getting sweatier. ‘Astra,’ he said without looking up. ‘Would you sing a song?’</p><p>‘I can do that,’ Astra replied, a smile in their voice. ‘What kind of song?’</p><p>‘I don't care. Just, anything really.’</p><p>Astra began a beautiful melody, dipping in and out of Common. The parts he could understand were about love, ever-lasting across such space and time.</p><p>Vanden recognized the tune. It was from Riven. He'd been there when he was younger, visiting family. Their masquerade festival was filled with bright colors and distinctive music.</p><p>Astra must have been there sometime too.</p><p>The song wasn't laced with magic, and it calmed Vanden. Thinking of long afternoons lost to his own notes and piano keys. Or slow dancing on a beach, the rising tide lapping against his ankles. Or wandering west from Mirrortail, through vibrant forests, singing an old hymn from temple, and the birds above singing along.</p><p>And he breathed.</p><p>The guards had looked over, noticing Astra. Perhaps they were meant to stop the prisoners from doing such things, but Astra was a good singer, and the guards didn't seem to mind.</p><p>Astra finished with a long decrescendo, and guards gave them food again, marking noon. Elyse, Vanden and Astra sat on the floor together, spooning the porridge-ish slop into their mouths.</p><p>Vanden tried not to gag.</p><p>Astra's meal had a small biscuit too, for his song, which he split with the other four people in the cell.</p><p>A human and an elf took over the hobgoblin guards' shift.</p><p>And they brought in another prisoner. He was an imposing, human man with fair skin and greying hair. He struggled loudly between the guards, who grasped his arms and dragged him across to the empty cell.</p><p>‘I didn't do anything!’ he roared. ‘That drake is <em> mine!’ </em></p><p>Elyse and Vanden looked at each other, eyes wide.</p><p>Komo was tossed into the cell, and the guards locked the door behind him. He stood, clutched the bars and shouted profanities at them. With only laughter as a response, he huffed and brushed dirt off his fine clothes, sitting down quietly on the bench.</p><p>The guards tried to give Komo the prison food. He grimaced in disgust and kicked it back at them.</p><p>Elyse burst out into laughter. Vanden stifled his.</p><p>‘Gods, I hate rich people,’ Elyse said, amused. ‘They think they're so entitled.’</p><p>Vanden swallowed.</p><p>The woman with matted hair spoke up, looking at Elyse. ‘What'd you do?’</p><p>Elyse looked over and shrugged. ‘We set that man's guard drake loose.’</p><p>‘We <em> saved </em> it,’ Astra corrected.</p><p>Vanden glanced up to see Komo's gaze drilling through their heads. He quickly looked away.</p><p>The woman slowly nodded, and Elyse asked her the same question.</p><p>‘Stealing food,’ she said, ‘for my children.’</p><p>Vanden cringed.</p><p>‘What about you?’ Elyse asked the boy.</p><p>He was quiet for a while, as if he hadn't heard. Staring up at the ceiling with tired eyes. But eventually, he swallowed and managed, ‘I didn't do it.’</p><p>‘Well,’ Elyse paused, ‘what are you accused of?’</p><p>The boy didn't answer.</p><p>It had to be something quite serious for that kind of reaction. But surely, a person accused of murder or the like wouldn't be locked up with someone accused of petty theft.</p><p>And he was so young. Fifteen, at the oldest.</p><p>There was awkward silence for a moment, but the boy chewed at his lip, and he finally whispered, ‘Kidnapping and torture.’</p><p>Vanden stared, bug-eyed, at the boy, hoping he <em> was </em> innocent.</p><p>Elyse, jaw-dropped, was equally as surprised. ‘What, like, wrong place, wrong time?’</p><p>The boy nodded.</p><p>Vanden put down his food. ‘Who was tortured?’</p><p>‘I'm not really sure,’ the boy admitted. ‘I barely saw them. Clothing looked kind of like Riven, but it was . . .’ he paused, painfully remembering ‘. . . hard to tell.’</p><p>‘Sorry,’ Vanden said.</p><p>He glanced at Astra, with some connection to Riven, whose eyes had gone wide too.</p><p>Vanden looked back at the boy, wanting to know more.</p><p>Needing to. Erran fell far out of his jurisdiction as Warden of the East, but depending on the severity and purpose, the torture could have been a war crime.</p><p>‘When was this?’ Vanden asked.</p><p>‘Yesterday night.’</p><p>Vanden considered it, coinciding with the drake's escape, then asked, ‘Did you see the person who actually did it?’</p><p>‘Not really.’ The boy curled himself together and turned around on the bench. ‘Please leave me alone. I've—I've already . . . told the Guard.’ He was shaking.</p><p>Vanden sighed, unable to explain why he needed to know. And feeling rather guilty, he apologized again.</p><p>A few hours later, the boy starting to snore, more guards entered, and they pulled Komo back out of his cell. He was tense and clearly still angry, but he no longer violently thrashed against them. And they left the area, still gripping Komo's upper arms.</p><p>Vanden worried about where Komo was being taken. It wasn't necessarily to trial. But Vanden had no power over the situation, and he was left to wait.</p><p>At one point, Elyse played with lightning, sizzling between her fingers. Detached and focused at the same time.</p><p>Vanden glanced up at the two guards in the area, but they were distracted, playing cards at a table.</p><p>He leaned towards her. ‘You're gonna get us in more trouble,’ he said in a low voice.</p><p>‘I could break us out,’ she whispered back. ‘Right now.’</p><p>Vanden's eyes widened. ‘What?’</p><p>‘Obviously, I don't have my spell components, but I can cast Thunderwave without them. It would tear through those bars.’</p><p>‘Don't.’</p><p>‘I'm not going to,’ she said, offended. ‘I'm not stupid. We have a good chance right now of being released. I'm just saying, Erran's security is really bad.’</p><p>‘I guess.’ Vanden eyed the distracted guards. ‘What I'm worried about is Komo having been pardoned. Or, having bailed himself out or something.’ He sighed. ‘I'm not from Erran,’ he admitted truthfully. ‘I wish I knew more about its laws.’</p><p>In Mirrortail, Komo would have been able to buy his way out of any punishment. But Erran could be different.</p><p>‘There's a huge, ancient prison on the very edge of the city,’ he said. ‘It's been updated and restored since, of course, but it used to be really inhumane. There were significant government reforms regarding the justice system a few centuries ago, when Sophia Pešek and her husband, Astor Beauregard, became High Councillors.’ He'd regretfully never read about what they actually entailed. ‘But that's all I know, really.’</p><p>‘Nerd.’</p><p>Vanden huffed and crossed his arms.</p><p>Elyse laughed.</p><p>At the very least, he hoped Erran's sentences would be better than Mirrortail. There, punishments included anything from fines to indentured servitude or whipping.</p><p>‘Have you heard of a Medeis student named Marlena?’ Vanden asked.</p><p>Elyse's eyes lit up. ‘Have <em> you?’ </em></p><p>‘What?’</p><p>‘She's apparently the student aide for the arcane artefacts display, but I have no idea who she is.’</p><p>Vanden lowered his eyebrows. ‘Hm.’</p><p>‘Who is she?’</p><p>‘Medeis prefect,’ Vanden said. ‘Purple hair.’</p><p>Elyse nodded. ‘How do you know her?’</p><p>‘She's the one who,’ Vanden lowered his voice again, ‘beat me up.’</p><p>‘Oh.’</p><p>Vanden nodded, and there was silence between them.</p><p>But, eventually—finally—Captain Kantola returned, carrying files. He drew a chair from where the previous two guards had been playing cards, and sat down in front of the cell.</p><p>He addressed Aisha, Renard, and Astra. ‘We found the evidence in Lord Komo's house. He was arrested then taken to trial. The evidence proved sufficient enough for the jury to convict him.’</p><p>Vanden smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.</p><p>‘Separately, the law deems all of your attacks as self-defence.’</p><p>Elyse relaxed too.</p><p>‘Komo's guards are currently being investigated for having fought lethally.’</p><p>The guard drew out a sheet of parchment from the files he carried and read off it. ‘By the eighth amendment of Erran's Constitution, “. . . One shall not be charged with a crime by a person who has been or will be proven guilty in a fair and just trial, of which they have not already paid the sentence, unless the crime directly and purposefully abridges any protected citizen's fundamental rights to life, liberty, or property,” and you three are released from this jail.’ He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked their cell door.</p><p>Vanden, Elyse, and Astra stood and left the cell. The guard locked the door again.</p><p>‘Thank you, sir,’ Vanden said, then asked. ‘Once Komo has done his time, will he be able to charge us with the crime then?’</p><p>‘Oh, he'll be in there for years. Far too late by then to charge you with a crime like this.’</p><p>Vanden smiled, glad it wasn't going to bite him in the ass later.</p><p>Kantola brought them to a room. Their belongings were spread out along a table. Astra grabbed his bag quickly and sat down on the ground, checking inside it. Vanden took his money pouch and pocket watch and turned to Kantola. ‘Has the drake been caught, sir?’</p><p>Kantola sighed. ‘No, it hasn't. Seems to have completely disappeared.’</p><p>‘As if it left the city?’ He tried not to sound too hopeful.</p><p>‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘No one's seen it since early this morning, when it attacked a woman on the eastern side of the city.’</p><p>At that, Vanden hoped it <em> had </em> left the city. If it had attacked someone, the drake would surely be killed. He glanced at Astra and Elyse. They were listening too, worried and deep in thought.</p><p>‘We've got a lot of guards looking for it though,’ Kantola assured.</p><p>Vanden nodded.</p><p>He wanted to ask why the drake was such a big priority when the boy in the cell had allegedly tortured someone from Riven.</p><p>He didn't.</p><p>Vanden made polite salutations and Kantola showed them out of the jailhouse, back into the streets of Erran. The sun hung low in the west, evening, and looking at his pocket watch, Vanden confirmed this.</p><p>Elyse turned off in an opposite direction, and Vanden and Astra continued south together.</p><p>‘How are you doing, Astra?’</p><p>Astra looked over, as if surprised by the question. ‘I'm all right.’</p><p>‘You seemed pretty shaken.’</p><p>‘I'm all right now,’ Astra insisted, hands gripping their backpack straps. A thin smile filled his face and he stared up at the sky. Birds chirping.</p><p>They walked quietly for a while, and Vanden breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down too.</p><p>After a minute, he said, ‘Thank you for the song.’</p><p>‘Of course,’ Astra smiled.</p><p>Silence again, and the flagstone street became cobblestone. A cart passed them, but neither of them hailed it.</p><p>Astra sighed. ‘Renard?’</p><p>‘Yes?’</p><p>‘What's torture?’</p><p>Vanden stopped walking. He looked up at Astra, unsure how to react.</p><p>Astra stopped too, going blue in the cheeks. ‘Sorry, um, that was a stupid question.’ He looked away.</p><p>Vanden continued walking, and Astra joined him, still embarrassed. ‘Not a stupid question,’ Vanden assured. With no one around them, he explained.</p><p>Astra's eyes widened. ‘That's horrible.’</p><p>‘I agree, but it happens. Especially during wars.’</p><p>‘Riven's not at war,’ Astra said, but then he looked at Vanden, confused and worried, as if he was no longer sure.</p><p>‘No, it's not,’ Vanden said. ‘Erran and Riven are on good terms politically.’</p><p>Astra nodded.</p><p>‘Have you been there?’ Vanden asked.</p><p>‘I lived in the forest near it.’</p><p>‘Right, of course.’ Vanden smiled. ‘What brought you to Erran?’</p><p>Astra gave no reaction. They looked up at a tree they passed, a squirrel scurrying up its trunk. ‘Hey, look.’ Astra pointed.</p><p>Vanden's eye widened. There, in the shadows within the leaves, hung five large fruit bats. ‘Strange,’ he said. ‘I've never seen bats in Erran before.’</p><p>They continued walking. Cobblestone became dirt road, and the southern treeline arose on the horizon. Vanden considered removing his mask, but Astra would insist on healing his eye, so he didn't. Upon reaching the house, Vanden said good-bye to Astra, and he unlocked the door.</p><p>Stepping inside, he was met with, ‘Oh, thank the gods.’ Theun stepped out of his room.</p><p>Vanden removed his mask, scarf, and cloak. ‘Hey.’</p><p>‘I tried to go out and look for you. And I heard there was a guard drake loose. Was that . . .?’</p><p>‘Me? Yeah.’ Vanden recapped the event and the arrest.</p><p>‘Well.’ Theun was sitting on the sofa, elbows resting on his knobbly knees. ‘At least you aren't going to be charged with anything?’</p><p>‘Yeah.’ Vanden agreed. He had sliced and buttered bread from a loaf, and he sat down beside Theun. ‘Oh, and in the jail cell I was in. There was this fifteen-year-old hobgoblin who said he was accused of kidnapping and torture. He saw the person and said they might have been from Riven.’</p><p>‘I'm sorry, what?’</p><p>‘And I'm worried because, you know, war crimes.’</p><p>Theun thought for a moment. Then pushed himself up to stand. ‘Possible connection.’ He ducked into his bedroom and returned with a couple of books, notes sticking out of them. ‘I may have done something slightly against the rules.’ Theun sat back down and opened one titled <em> A History of Shadebourne </em> to a bookmarked page. ‘So, the bookshop's closed today, but I have a key because I work such early shifts sometimes.’</p><p>Vanden raised an eyebrow.</p><p>‘I paid for them and recorded the purchase. My boss will never notice.’</p><p>‘Theun.’</p><p>‘I'm the bookkeeper. I do what I want.’</p><p>Vanden laughed, and Theun smiled back. He pushed up his glasses and looked down at the book again. ‘I was researching that thing you said last night. Bespredel.’</p><p>‘Yeah?’</p><p>‘It was an ancient crime organisation which existed in Shadebourne.’ Theun turned the book around and showed Vanden a line he had highlighted. ‘It was taken down almost a thousand years ago, and I couldn't find anything recent that mentioned it at all. Which implies that the girl who beat you up knows that it still secretly exists or that it's had some type of resurgence.’</p><p>‘Hm. Fantastic.’</p><p>‘Also.’ Theun grabbed the second book and showed its cover to Vanden. <em> The Typhon Assembly of Erran. </em></p><p>‘No.’ Vanden knew what that one was.</p><p>‘Rival organisation,’ Theun said. ‘They both wanted to restart The War of the Three Crowns.’</p><p>‘Are you implying that Marlena is part of . . .’</p><p>‘I don't know. She could be.’</p><p>Vanden sighed, overwhelmed, but Theun looked incredibly pleased with himself and his research.</p><p>‘What about the torture?’ Vanden asked.</p><p>‘Riven I'm not sure about yet,’ Theun admitted. ‘But I have a feeling they're related.’</p><p>Vanden gave Theun the passage about the Weeping Eye he had copied down. Theun read through it a few times and absorbed it into his notes.</p><p>‘There's something else too.’ Vanden dug in his bag for the royal book. He opened it to the dog-eared page and handed it to Theun, breathing deeply.</p><p>Theun took it, a bit worried, and skimmed through the chapter. He saw the underlined line and then the words written beside the royal family members' names.</p><p>‘Hm.’</p><p>‘Yeah.’ Vanden breathed deeply. ‘Found that on day one, so that stuff had to have been written last year.’</p><p>‘That would pose the question: Did The Typhon Assembly have something to do with the siege?’</p><p>‘Right,’ Vanden regretfully agreed. ‘And somehow they know about . . . your condition too.’ He sighed, pausing to think. ‘The only person I know about at my school who could be in the Assembly is Marlena. The girl who beat me up.’</p><p>Theun handed the book back to Vanden. ‘I wouldn't jump to conclusions too soon. Get her handwriting somehow.’</p><p>Vanden nodded. Marlena wasn't in any of his classes, so it would be a difficult task. Maybe he could find some assignment she hadn't turned in yet in her bag.</p><p>But how could she possibly know such personal information about Theun? The people of Mirrortail didn't even know.</p><p>‘I don't want to talk about this anymore.’ Vanden replaced the book in his bag. He leaned back and touched gently at his swollen eye.</p><p>Theun looked up at Vanden and realized. ‘Oh, I'm sorry.’ He conjured the bag of ice again and held it out.</p><p>Vanden took it, thanking him. ‘That reminds me.’ Vanden retrieved his magic textbook and notes from his bag. ‘Would you mind helping me? Magic class.’</p><p>‘Not at all.’</p><p>Theun read through his notes and told him the school of magic he was missing was necromancy. Rather self-explanatory, Vanden didn't bother to write down the definition. Theun then explained what a school of magic was and what cantrips were, demonstrating the spectral hand spell repeatedly.</p><p>‘And, what's an arcane foci?’ Vanden asked. ‘The professor and the textbook both mentioned it, but neither explained it. And Cassian certainly didn't either.’</p><p>‘Okay.’ Theun leaned back, reaching into his pocket, ‘An arcane focus is an item that a mage uses to channel higher level magic through.’ He drew out an astrolabe, smaller than the standard size. It fit in his hand easily. ‘This is mine.’ He showed Vanden the intricate runes carved along the rim.</p><p>‘Ah, that's what that is.’ Vanden smiled, jokingly. ‘I thought you could just conjure breath-taking magic by the sheer power of finding latitude.’</p><p>Theun laughed. ‘Well, obviously.’ He put his focus away and leaned back into the cushions. ‘Who's Cassian?’</p><p>‘What?’ Vanden's eye widened. ‘No one.’</p><p>Theun gave him a quizzical look.</p><p>‘It's complicated.’ Vanden's cheeks grew warm, and he scratched at the back of his neck. ‘I really don't like him very much.’</p><p>‘Of course you don't.’ Theun smirked.</p><p>‘I don't!’</p><p>Theun left it alone, conjured new ice for him, and stood. ‘I'll get us some dinner from the taverna down the street and bring it back. You,’ he pointed at Vanden, ‘rest and relax for a night, okay?’</p><p>‘Thanks,’ Vanden said. ‘I . . . reluctantly appreciate it.’</p><p>Theun smiled, rolling his eyes, and left.</p>
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